Hate crimes
Have you been a victim of hate crime?
If you've been experiencing hate crime you may well feel very upset and scared.
You could be being targeted in a number of different ways:
- ‘hate’ related bullying
- personal attacks of any kind, including violence
- written or verbal threats or insults
- damage to property, including graffiti
- threatening or abusive phone calls, emails and Instant Messages (IM)
If it is linked to bullying take a look at our dedicated section. Either get the facts about bullying, or read our section: ‘Are you being bullied and need some help?’.
What can you do?
No matter how hard it might seem you must talk to someone about it:
- Tell your parents or a responsible adult.
- Talk to your teacher
- Speak to a professional at an organisation like ChildLine or maybe a CyberMentor (see below for more details).
If you feel ready to report it:
- You can contact your local police station or speak to your Safer Schools Officer or Safer Neighbourhoods Team - if it's an emergency you should call 999.
- If you feel unable to talk to us you could contact the Crimestoppers charity www.crimestoppers-uk.org on 0800 555 111 in confidence (you won't have to give your name and your call will not be traced)
- Or for more information visit the ‘Reporting crime’ section on the Metropolitan Police website or the ‘How to contact us' page on this site
You can also report some hate crimes to non-police organisations such as those listed below. For more information visit our ‘More help and advice’ page.
Come in and see us
You can also come into any police station, anywhere in London, or we can arrange to visit you at home, if that's easier or more comfortable for you. You can talk to us yourself or ask someone else to speak on your behalf, like a friend or relative, a community leader or your solicitor. You could even ask someone from your local authority, housing association or advice bureau to speak for you - or bring a friend in for support. The most important thing is that you speak to someone.
Our Community Safety Units
The Metropolitan Police Service has made it a high priority to tackle hate crime in all its forms with specialist Community Safety Units located in each of our 32 boroughs. We investigate all hate crime, even in cases where there is only a small amount of information or when a victim has not reported it themselves. And we record all incidents brought to our attention whether or not a crime has been committed.
Find out more about how we're tackling hate crime on the main Metropolitan Police website
Getting more help
If you want more advice, look online. Visit our ‘More help and advice’ page.
Or to speak to someone in confidence you could also try the following:
ChildLine
ChildLine is the free helpline for children and young people in the UK, Children and young people can call 0800 1111 to talk about any problem.
CyberMentors
CyberMentors is all about young people helping and supporting each other online.
If you're being bullied or are troubled by something, CyberMentors is where you can go for help.
