Hate Free Highland

How to Report

• Incident Report Form — online
• Official third-party reporters list — Contact details
• Other voluntary sector support available — web links
• We are currently finalising the full translation of this site – if you would like to report a Hate Crime or get further information about the campaign please visit your local CAB office where an interpreter will be called to support your query
• Statistics and Case Studies

Questions

What is a hate incident?

A Hate Incident is defined 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 prejudice or hate.

A hate incident can occur because of a person's age, disability, gender, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation or social background.

In other words it is when one person targets another through physical, verbal or any other form of abuse and you believe this abuse has been motivated by one of the following factors:

Age: where an incident is directed to a person because of their age
disability: this is sometimes called disablism and involves incidents directed at people with a wide range of disabilities such as physical or sensory impairments, learning difficulties and mental illness
gender: where an incident is directed towards people from the transgender community, as well as women or men
race or ethnic origin: this is often called racism and includes incidents directed at anyone on the grounds of race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality or national origins
religion or belief: where an incident takes place towards a person because of their faith
sexual orientation: this is sometimes called homophobia and includes an incident directed at a person who is or is thought to be lesbian, gay, transvestite, transsexual, or bisexual.
Social background: where an incident is directed at someone as a result of class, income, occupation, educational level or from a combination of these factors.

It is the understanding of victim or the witness that is important in defining a hate incident. In other words if someone thinks that an incident has been motivated by any of the factors listed above they should be reported on this website.

What forms can a hate incident take?

Hate incidents may be physical, verbal or written and can take many forms including:

• Physical attack – such as physical assault, damage to property, offensive graffiti
• Threat of attack – including offensive letters, abusive or obscene calls
• Verbal abuse or insults
• Offensive leaflets and posters, hate mail, abusive gestures, dumping of rubbish outside homes
• Harassment, bullying and victimisation, including at school, in the workplace or in public places

Who is responsible for this website?

The partners involved are:

• Northern Constabulary
• NHS Highland
• Highland Council
• Highlands and Islands Enterprise
• Procurator Fiscal Office

Who can report a hate incident on this website?

You can fill in a report about a hate incident if:

• A hate incident has happened to you
• A hate incident has happened to someone you know
• You have seen an incident that you think needs to be reported.

If you are unsure about whether or not you should fill in a report on this website, please do so. We will treat all information you give us seriously.

Can anyone help me to fill in the form?

If you prefer to report the incident in person or need support to fill in the form you can go to any of the third party reporting organisations. These organisations have been trained to help with the confidential completion of a form, and will provide support within the context of their own policies and procedures.

Do I have to give my name?

No, you do not have to provide any personal details if you do not wish; you can report anonymously in which case you cannot be traced through completing this form.

If you do not provide your details, the police will be unable to contact you. However, depending on the information provided by you, it may be necessary for the police to carry out further enquiries into the incident.

If you do choose to leave your name, your details will be kept confidential and only known to the few staff from the agency partners directly involved in this project. The police or another partnership agency may contact you for more information.

If the incident that you report is found to be a crime, it will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal. Click here for more information about this.

Will I be contacted if I send a report?

If you provide contact details, you will receive a letter confirming that your report has been received and informing you that either there will be no further action, or asking to arrange a phone call or visit with you. This will depend on the nature of the incident you have reported.

Where does this form go, and what is the point of recording an incident?

Once you send your report, the information you give us will be used for 2 purposes:

1.It will give us general information about hate incidents that are happening in the Highlands, such as where they are happening and which groups are experiencing hate incidents. This general statistical information will be made public on the website, BUT no names will be included in these reports so that individuals cannot be identified. By understanding trends we can improve our efforts to stop hate crime.

2.It will also be used to identify specific incidents that may require us to take some action to bring the perpetrators to justice or to stop any other such incidents happening.

Where can I get more information about the project or register to become a reporting support organisation?

Contact email: info@hatefreehighland.org