What is hate crime?
SLH policy defines hate crime as any incident which may or may not constitute a criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by hate or prejudice.
Have you or your home been attacked or have you witnessed this happening to someone else? This could include damage to property, name calling, arson, graffiti, violence, providing or offering offensive literature, dumping of rubbish or other offensive materials in or near the victim's home. If you think this could be because of:
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Religion
- Disability
- Sexual orientation
- Gender identity
- Age
Then this is a hate crime incident. You can read more about our Hate Crime Policy here.
Reporting hate crime to SLH
So if you are suffering from hate crime, contact us in confidence and we can give you all the support you need. Anyone suffering from hate crime can make a full report to SLH using the form below, by visiting our office, calling us or by speaking to a member of staff. All complaints will be acknowledged within 24 hours.
Hate crime reporting centres
If you don’t feel comfortable going directly to the police, then there are third party reporting centres across Merseyside where you can report hate crime in confidence.
Working in partnership with Stop Hate UK, SLH has become one of these centres too. Third party reporting centres can be identified by a red “hand” logo and there are now more than 70 third party reporting centres across Merseyside, including the Central Library, Citizen Advice Bureaus and hospitals.
These centres are independent, non-police centres that allow you to report incidents in complete confidence. Staff at the centres are fully trained and can help you contact the police or Stop Hate UK to report any incidents of hate or abuse.
Useful links