Hate crimes
Get the facts
What is hate crime?
A hate crime is any incident that is perceived by the victim, or any other person to be:
- racist
- homophobic
- transphobic (discrimination against transsexual or transgender people)
Or due to a person’s:
- religion
- beliefs
- gender identity
- disability
London is one of the most vibrant, multi-cultural cities in the world. But with so many different people living here with all kinds of opinions, religions and ways of life, it is an unfortunate fact that a small number of people will feel threatened by something they don’t understand.
Things to know
- The Metropolitan Police Service has made it a high priority to tackle hate crime in all its forms.
- Hate crime is one of the key concerns of our specialist community safety units which operate in each of London's 32 boroughs.
- 46,300 hate crimes were reported in the UK, in 2008, according to the OCSE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe).
- This figure is high, but on a positive note it does show that people have confidence to report hate crime in all its forms to the police so that we can do something about it.
Reporting hate crime
No hate crime is too minor to report to the police. We record all incidents brought to our attention whether or not a crime has been committed. Hate crime in all its forms can affect the whole community, not simply those involved.
If you are a victim of hate crime or maybe you know someone who is, there’s plenty of help and support available. Visit our ‘More help and advice‘ page.
