It's National Hate Crime Awareness Week

Ways the force and local partners support victims of hate crime are the focus of this year’s National Hate Crime Awareness Week (NHCAW).

The national campaign, aimed at increasing understating of hate crimes, hate incidents and ways to report them, launched on Saturday 12 October 2024.

Partners include the city and county council along with health, education and sports sectors who collectively mark NHCAW every year. Social media profiles will be published Monday - Friday this week to highlight the ways support is provided along with links to useful resources.  

National Hate Crime Awareness Week (NHCAW) has been marked since 2009 and was set up after the tenth anniversary of the nail bomb attacks in London in 1999.

Hate Crime, Crime Reduction and Community Safety Partnerships Inspector Will Prince says: “National Hate Crime Awareness Week is a great opportunity to show the great work Leicestershire Police do on a daily basis across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, reinforcing our zero tolerance approach.

“Our diverse communities are something to be really proud of and we recognise how impactive hate crime can be to these communities. We are working hard with our partners to increase awareness of, and reduce, hate crime, and improve trust and confidence.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews said: “Crime fuelled by hate can take place anywhere, with the hate being targeted at anyone by those consumed by bigotry and intolerance.

"Being a victim of crime is bad enough, but being targeted due to hate quite literally adds insult to injury and can make the process of recovery vastly more difficult and emotionally disruptive. So, I want to make it clear that hate crime will not be tolerated. 

“I urge anyone affected by crimes driven by hatred to report it.  That is the only way that the people responsible will be brought to justice.”

If there is a crime in progress or a risk to life/property, call emergency 999. For anything else, visit Contact us | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk).

Hate crimes can also be reported to local councils or via websites such as True Vision: Report a hate crime - True Vision (report-it.org.uk)