How to report a hate crime

A hate crime is any criminal offence that is motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone's:

• disability
• race
• religion
• sexual orientation
• transgender identity

People commit hate crimes against who a person is, or is perceived to be.

Hate crimes include:

• physical attacks
• verbal and online abuse
• insults and harassment
• damage to property
• graffiti

Prejudice and hate crimes are unacceptable and will not be tolerated within Walsall Borough. If you are victim of a hate crime, or have witnessed a hate crime, you must report it to the police.

You do not have to be the victim to report a hate crime. You can report it as a witness and the perpetrator(s) may still be prosecuted.

How to report hate crimes

If you or someone else is in danger, call 999 immediately.

If you can't speak on the phone, you can contact the emergency services by SMS text. This service is called Relay UK and you need to register to use it.

Other organisations that can help

You may not feel comfortable talking directly to the police, or feel safe enough to report the crime using your personal details.

You can report hate crimes and incidents anonymously through third parties:

• True Vision has a range of reporting options if you don't want to talk directly to the police
• Stop Hate UK provides support to people affected by hate crime. You can report an incident by phone, text, post or online
• Crimestoppers allows you to report a crime confidentially without giving your name or talking to the police

Support for victims

If you are the victim of a hate crime, you can contact Victim Support West Midlands. The charity offers local support services that are run by trained staff and volunteers.

You can also find out about Walsall Hate Crime Reduction Initiative - an initiative to reduce all forms of hate crime in Walsall.