Find out more about Hate Crime in this section including how to report it and where to go for help and advice.

Hate crime is any offence committed against a person or property which is motivated by the offender's hatred of someone because of their:

• Race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality or national origins
• Religion
• Gender or gender identify
• Sexual orientation
• Disability     

You don't have to be from a minority community to be a victim of hate crime. Hate crime hurts; it can be confusing and frightening.  Hate crime can take many forms including:

• physical attacks – such as physical assault, damage to property, offensive graffiti, neighbour disputes and arson 
• threat of attack – including offensive letters, abusive or obscene telephone calls, groups hanging around to intimidate and unfounded, malicious complaints 
• verbal abuse or insults - offensive leaflets and posters, abusive gestures, dumping of rubbish outside homes or through letterboxes, and bullying at school or in the workplace     

The Home Office definition of a hate crime is:

• "Any incident, which constitutes a criminal offence, which is perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice or hate."
  

Hiding your tracks online

If you are worried about someone knowing which web sites you have visited, you can take several steps to increase your safety when using the internet. The Victim Support site provides a practical guide to safe web site usage. To view this guide, click here. 
 
The only certain way to prevent anyone finding out which web pages you have been viewing is to use a computer they do not have access to; this could be at a local library, a friend's house, or an internet cafe.