Stop Hate UK
Want to STOP HATE CRIME? You're in the majority. Call Stop Hate UK on 0800 138 1625
On Monday 20 October 2008, a new helpline for victims of Hate Crime was launched in Derbyshire.
Partners including Derbyshire Constabulary, Derby Community Safety Partnership and Derbyshire County Council have funded the 24 hour helpline, which is being run by Leeds-based charity, Stop Hate UK.
The free reporting and advice service, which will be co-ordinated locally by Derbyshire Criminal Justice Board, is available to both victims and third party reporters and for all forms of Hate Crime.
Hate Crime is “any crime where the perpetrators’ prejudice against an identifiable group of people is a factor in determining who is victimised. It can include verbal abuse, physical attack, offensive literature, graffiti, damage to property, arson and even murder because of a person’s disability, age, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender status.”
The aims of the helpline are to:
- provide increased reporting choices for victims and an alternative to reporting directly to the police or visiting a Hate Incident Reporting Centre
- help understand problems in Derbyshire
- address under-reporting as only 25% of Hate Crime incidents are reported
- build public confidence and trust in communities
- empower and drive the creation of a network of third party reporting centres across the county
- use community intelligence for tension monitoring
The helpline is staffed by trained operators who can offer immediate support and signposting to callers. If a caller’s first language isn’t English, an operator who can speak in their preferred language will call them back. The operators will then disseminate the information (with the caller’s permission) to one of two referral points, Victim Support or the police.
Mick Creedon, Chair of Derbyshire Criminal Justice Board commented:
“The Criminal Justice System and Community Safety partners in Derbyshire take Hate Crime very seriously and treat it as a priority when reported. Not only does reporting an incident provide valuable information that may lead to the arrest and prosecution of offenders, but recording incidents enables agencies to build up patterns of behaviour and areas of concern.
“By launching the Stop Hate UK Helpline in Derbyshire, we are sending out a clear message that Hate Crime will not be tolerated and that victims should not have to suffer in silence.”
The Stop Hate UK helpline is a free, non-police number – 0800 138 1625. In an emergency, please call 999.