Why report hate crime?
Hate crimes and incidents are hurtful, confusing and frightening. By reporting them, you may be able to prevent them happening to someone else.
Reporting also helps police to understand hate crime in your area so they can respond to it appropriately.
Reporting makes a difference – to you, your friends, and your life.
How to report hate crime
There are several ways to report hate crime. You can report incidents if you have been a victim, a witness, or on behalf of someone else. You can do this in the following ways:
Contact the police
- Always ring 999 in an emergency
- Ring 101 for a non-emergency.
- Report online
You can speak to the police in confidence. As a result, you don’t have to give your personal details. However, police investigations and the ability to prosecute may be hindered if officers can’t contact you.
Cleveland Hate Crime Charter
The Charter sets out what you can expect when you report hate crime to Cleveland Police. It includes what you can report, how to report it and what happens after you have made a report.
This charter demonstrates Cleveland Police’s commitment to making sure people can live and work without fear of abuse because of a personal characteristic.
Cleveland Hate Crime Charter (application, 3MB)
COPA
Download the COPA App on your phone. The Cleveland Online Policing App is designed to be easy to use and accessible, adding another way for you to access advice and services quickly and in one place.
Download here: COPA (Cleveland Online Policing App) – Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner
Use a Third Party Reporting Centre
If you don’t want to speak directly to the police, you can report crime at a Third Party Reporting Centre.
Third Party Reporting Centres can provide support and forward details to the police.
Reports do not have to include your contact details if you don’t want police to investigate. Reports can often alert police to areas where hate crime is a particular problem.
All Third Party Reporting Centres in Cleveland Police area are listed in the following document.
Third Party Reporting Centres for hate crime (application, 251kB)
Crimestoppers
If you want to pass details of a hate crime (or any other) offender but do not want to talk to the police, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or via their website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. You do not have to give your name and what you say is confidential. It is free to call.