I think someone I know has experienced a hate crime 
 
if you think someone you know has experienced a hate crime there are lots of ways in which you can help them.  Understanding the behaviours associated with hate crimes is a good place to start. Most people will usually describe what has or is happening to them and how it's making them feel.  

Hate incidents and hate crime are acts of violence or hostility against a person or property that is motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person due to a particular characteristic. This could be a disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, transgender identity or an alternative sub-culture hate crime. A victim does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted. In fact, anyone could be a victim of a hate crime. 

Hate incidents and crimes include bullying, harassment and sexual harassment, which are contrary to the Equality Act 2010and the University Diversity and Dignity at Study and Work Policy. Find out more about bullying and harassment and sexual harassment. 

Think  
  • What is a hate crime? It might be useful to think about what is meant by hate crime and how these behaviours are described. 
  • Are they in immediate danger? If they are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you can call 999 (or 112 from a mobile).If you're deaf or hard of hearing, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with theemergencySMSservice. 
  • Find a safe space. If an incident has just happened, try and find somewhere they feel safe. If they feel unsafe and are on campus, please call Security, who will liaise with emergency on +44(0)2079115000or extension 5555, or alternatively dial 112 from your mobile in an emergency. 
 
Talk 
SHUSH - active listening tips

1. Show you care - focus on the other person, make eye contact, put away your phone. To really listen to somebody, you need to give them your full attention, maintain eye contact and be engaged. When starting the conversation resolve not to talk about yourself at all. 

2. Have patience - It may take time and several attempts before a person is ready to open up. Effective listening is about creating trust with the other person. The person sharing shouldn’t feel rushed, or they won’t feel it’s a safe environment. If they've paused in their response, wait, they may not have finished speaking. It might take them some time to formulate what they are saying, or they may find it difficult to articulate what they're feeling. Through non-judgemental listening, you are allowing the person to relax into the conversation and to use it as a place to reflect or work through difficult emotions. 

3. Use open questions -  Use open questions that need more than a yes/no answer, and follow up with questions like 'Tell me more'. An open-ended question means not jumping in with your own ideas about how the other person may be feeling. These questions don't impose a view point and require a person to pause, think and reflect, and then hopefully expand. Avoid asking questions or saying something that closes down the conversation. Open-ended questions encourage them to talk, the conversation is a safe space that you are holding for them and nothing they say is right or wrong. Try asking, 'how are you feeling today'? 

4. Say it back - Check you’ve understood, but don’t interrupt or offer a solution. Repeating something back to somebody is a really good way to reassure them that they have your undivided attention. And you can check to see that you’re hearing what they want you to hear, not putting your own interpretation onto the conversation. 

5. Have courage - Don’t be put off by a negative response and, most importantly, don’t feel you have to fill a silence. Sometimes it can feel intrusive and counter-intuitive to ask someone how they feel. You’ll soon be able to tell if someone is uncomfortable and doesn’t want to engage with you at that level. You'll be surprised at how willing people are to listen and how, sometimes, it is exactly what somebody needs to be able to share what is going on their mind.

*Based on the Samaritans guidelines for active listening 
  • Give options. When they have finished talking ask them if they are okay to talk through some possible options and next steps:  
  • Request to Speak to an adviser on Report + Support. An advisor can talk through the University's procedures, inform you on how to make a complaint and let you know what support is available, in confidence. 
  • They may also wish to report the incident through the options below: 
 
Report

University 
  • Report and Support. As a student you can report an incident that you have experienced or witnessed via Report + Support either anonymously, or with your details if you’d like follow up advice or support. 
  • University Procedure. If you choose to make a formal complaint to the University about a student there are procedures which set out the steps you'll need to follow. 
Third Party  
  • To the Police. If you want to report directly to the police please enter your post code, street address or area on the local police force list here. 
  • Stop Hate UK. is one of the leading national organisations working to challenge all forms of Hate Crime and discrimination, based on any aspect of an individual’s identity. Stop Hate UK provides independent, confidential and accessible reporting and support for victims, witnesses and third parties. 
  • Victim Support.is the national charity giving free and confidential help to victims of crime, witnesses, their family, friends and anyone else affected. They are not a government agency or part of the police and you don’t have to report a crime to the police to get their help. You can call any time after the crime has happened, whether it was yesterday, last week or several years ago. 
  • Support Line provides a confidential telephone helpline offering emotional support to any individual on any issue. The Helpline is primarily a preventative service and aims to support people before they reach the point of crisis. It is particularly aimed at those who are socially isolated, vulnerable, at-risk groups and victims of any form of abuse. 
  • Citizens Advice Bureau provide free, confidential and independent advice from over 3,000 locations including in bureaus, GP surgeries, hospitals, colleges, prisons and courts. Advice is available face-to-face and by telephone. Most bureaus offer home visits and some also provide email advice. 
  • CrimeStoppers. If you have information about people who commit hate crimes and do not want to talk to the police, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously. You do not have to give your name, you will never have to give a statement to police or go to court. 
  • Equality Advisory Support Service has a Helpline to give information and guidance on discrimination and human rights issues. The service is free and fully accessible by phone, email, fax, post, video link for those who wish use BSL and has access to advocacy services for those with mental ill health and people with a learning disability.  
Victims of homophobic or transphobic hate crime 
  • Beaumont Society is a national self-help body run by and for the transgender community. We welcome all transgender people and their partners, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, creed or colour and all varieties from the nervous newcomers to those who are experienced and confident in their preferred gender. 
Victims of religious hate crime 
Get Support  

Support at the University 
  • Request to Speak to an adviser on Report + Support. An advisor can talk through the University's procedures, inform you on how to make a complaint and let you know what support is available, in confidence. 
  •   Residential Life. If you are a student in University Halls, all of the residences have Residential Assistants living in-house, who are senior students specially selected and trained for these roles. They are available weekday evenings and weekends if you wish to talk things through.
    e-mail: general.ra@outlook.com 
  •  Your Personal Tutor can support you with your studies and can put you in touch with services that can further support you. 
  •  Counselling Service. The University’s team of professional counsellors, psychotherapists and mental health workers offers confidential support. 
  • The Disability Advisory Support Service. The University’s dedicated disability advisors can provide advice, guidance, and support students on a range of practical adjustments to your work or studies. 
  • Mitigating Circumstances. If you feel your studies have been affected by what has happened, you can consider applying for mitigating circumstances.   
Other sources of support: 
  • Citizens Advice provides some useful information on the different types of harassment and hate crime people may experience including disability hate crime, racist and religious hate crime, sexual harassment, and sexual orientation and transgender identity hate crime. 
  • True Vision offers guidance on reporting hate crime and hate incidents. If you do not wish to talk to anyone in person about the incident or wish to remain anonymous, there is an online form for reporting hate crime; you can report non-crime hate incidents to the police to try and prevent any escalation in seriousness. 
  • LGBT Foundation has a number of groups covering a wide section of the LGBT community. They provide a safe and comfortable environment for people who may feel isolated, are coming out, or are new to the area. 
  • Disability Equality NW runs the Developing from the Negatives Project (DFN) which aims to raise awareness of Disability Hate Crime and encourage reporting.  
  • Tell MAMA supports victims of anti-Muslim hate and is a public service which also measures and monitors anti-Muslim incidents. 
  • Community Security Trust (CST) helps those who are victims of anti-Semitic hatred, harassment or bias. 
  • Victim Support. When you report a crime to the police, they should automatically ask you if you would like help from an organisation like Victim Support. But anyone affected by crime can contact them directly – you don’t need to talk to the police to get Victim Support help. 
  • The Student’s Union Advice Service can help you understand the University procedures and think about how you wish to respond to your situation 
Mental Health and Wellbeing 

Back

There are two ways you can tell us what happened

Report anonymously or Report with contact details