What is Racist or Religious Hate Crime?

Hate crimes and incidents are any crime or incident which is targeted at a victim because of the offender's hostility or prejudice against an identifiable group of people.

So any incident or crime which is perceived to be motivated because of a person's race, ethnicity or religion - either their actual ethnicity/religion or ethnicity/religion as perceived by the offender - will be recorded as such.  Hate crimes can be committed against a person or property.

A racist or religious hate crime is: 

“Any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race or perceived race”

or

“Any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a person’s religion or perceived religion”

You can also see our definition of hate crime on the Hate Crime Data page of this website.

How can I report an incident?

Details on how to report an incident and what you can report is available on the 'Report a hate crime' page. You can use a self reporting form or complete the online form on the 'Reporting online' page. You may also be able to report incidents through the organisations listed on this website on the 'Organisations that can help' page.

By reporting it, you may be able to prevent these incidents from happening to someone else.

Reporting makes a difference...to you, your friends, your community and your life.

How will the Police and CPS treat Racist and Religious Hate Crime?

The Police and other criminal justice agencies consider all hate crime to be very serious, including racist and religious hate crime. When a case is prosecuted, the courts can impose a stronger sentence under powers from the Criminal Justice Act 2003. This reflects the priority placed on these crimes. The Police have performance targets and measures in place to ensure the service they offer is of the highest standard.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the organisation that takes cases through the court system. They have produced guidance on Racist and Religious Hate Crime that is available on the 'Prosecuting hate crimes' page of this website (opens in new window).