What is a Hate Crime?
Hate crimes are any crimes that are targeted at a person or group because of hostility or prejudice towards that person or groups based on any of the following factors:
Disability
Any physical, learning or mental impairment. This includes permanent and non permanent disabilities.
Race or Ethnicity
Race includes skin colour, nationality – place of birth, ethnic or national origins. This includes countries within the UK. Race also includes gypsy traveller groups.
Religion
Any religious group or person that has a religious or philosophical belief including those who have no faith or belief at all.
Sexual Orientation
Includes orientation towards the same sex. This group includes male and female. Orientation towards both sexes – bisexual. (This does not necessarily mean the person is gay or lesbian.)
Transgender / Transphobic
Includes transvestite – a person who dresses as the opposite sex but may not necessarily be gay or lesbian. Transgender - a person whose perception of their own body gender identity does not conform to the one they were assigned to at birth. This also includes where a person feels body and gender are not in sync with each other causing emotional discomfort to the point that body alteration through hormones and or surgery may be sought. It is irrelevant if those persons do or do not hold a gender recognition certificate under the Gender recognition Act 2004.
Gender
Age
Hate Crime can be committed against a person or property.
It is based on the victim or any other person’s actual or perceived perception.
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.
More information on the different forms of hate crime can be found by clicking on the links on the left-hand side of your screen.