Hate crime: what is it and how do you report it?
What is a hate crime?
A hate crimes is a criminal offence that is carried out because of hostility or prejudice.
Hate crimes can be long-term or an isolated incident and can range from hateful comments to suggestive harassment from a stranger.
Officers say anyone who believes they are in physical danger because of threats or abuse should contact police immediately.
How do you report a hate crime?
Police are asking people who witness a hate crime to offer support to the victim if it is safe to do so, to console the victim after the event and tell officers by calling 999 in an emergency or 101 in a non-emergency.
If you do not want to contact the police directly you can report hate crime online at the True Vision website.
Other organisations that campaign against hate crime include:
You can find more information about hate crime and how to report it here.