The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) define hate crime as:
Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on a person’s disability or perceived disability; race or perceived race; or religion or perceived religion; or sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation or transgender identity or perceived transgender identity.
Hate crimes are widely underreported in the UK, but reporting is important as it symbolises taking a stand against hate. Reporting hate crimes to the police, local authorities or other organisations such as charities enables victims to obtain support and helps make local communities safer.
How to Report a Hate Crime
If you are reporting a hate crime that is in progress or if someone is in immediate danger, 999 should be called. If the crime is not an emergency, you should call 101 or visit a police station.
Alternately, hate crimes can be reported to the police online via the True Vision platform, which is secure, confidential and managed by police officers. Here is the link to the True Vision platform – https://www.report-it.org.uk/your_police_force
If you do not wish to report a hate crime directly to the police, you can report to third party organisations such as the West London Equality Centre, Victim Support or Stop Hate UK, which provides an independent reporting service in various areas of the UK, including a 24-hour helpline.
Benefits of Reporting a Hate Crime
Reporting a hate crime helps victims to puruse justice and holds perpetrators accountable, as cases can progress to the CPS, which has the power to charge and prosecute perpetrators. Therefore, reporting also prevents further hate crime incidents as it can protect other potential victims from being targeted due to one or more of their protected characteristics.
Additionally, reporting helps to provide the authorities with an overview of hate crime in communities and observe crime trends. Thus, reporting is beneficial because even if a perpetrator is not prosecuted, the victim’s report will become recorded data which helps to map the extent of hate crime issues in a given area or in relation to a particular community. This data becomes helpful to relevant authorities in putting preventative measures in place to make communities safer.
The Impact of Hate Crime
Hate crimes should be reported due to their lasting negative impact on victims, their families and the wider community. Hate crimes are personal attacks as victims are targeted based on their identity or how others perceive them, which can be particularly distressing.
According to research conducted by Victim Support between 2016 and 2017, the impact of hate crime on victims may include fear, particularly of repeat attacks; anger; illness including depression and physical ailments; trauma in children; restrictions in lifestyle; and substantial financial loss. Victims of hate crime are also more likely to be psychologically affected and traumatised for an extended period than victims of other crimes which were not motivated by bias and hate. This trauma can spread through victims’ wider communities, as hate crimes can send a message to all members of a particular group that they are unsafe or unwelcome. Thus, a hate crime can also constitute a ‘signal crime’ (a crime that signals to the public that they are unsafe), impacting broader perceptions of crime and safety.
In such cases, hate crimes victimise targeted individuals as well as members of their group or community who share one or more of the same protected characteristics. Witnesses or members of the same community as a victim may also experience psychological distress, heightened anxiety, and lowered self-esteem.
It is also important to note that minority communities are disproportionately impacted by hate crime.
The Police’s Response to Hate Crime
In October 2025, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for Hate Crime published a statement acknowledging that a proportion of hate crime continues to go unreported and police forces across the country aim to close this gap and empower communities to report hate crime matters confidently.
According to the College of Policing, police are required to respond to hate crimes by conducting an investigation to identify and bring offenders to justice, signpost victims and communities to appropriate support and reduce repeat victimisation.
The police are also required to provide victims with advice about applying for compensation, provide updates regarding case progression and ask for feedback about how they handled a victim’s case.
How we can help you
Our team comprises of qualified legal professionals, caseworkers and volunteers who can help to provide accurate legal advice for any hate crime matter and make referrals to other organisations where appropriate depending on the support required. The hate crime team can be contacted at 020 8231 2550.
