The Aylesbury Vale community safety partnership is hosting an event to support victims of hate crime and encourage the reporting of incidents.
The event will be held at the Friar's Square Shopping Centre this Friday (23rd May) from 12pm. Officers and members from Aylesbury Vale District Council will be offering advice on what it is meant by hate crime, how to report hate crime and signposting people to various support agencies available to victims of hate crime.
Hate crime or incident may be defined as 'any incident, which may or may not constitute a criminal offence, which is perceived by the victim or any other person, as being motivated by prejudice or hate. Typically this may cover aspects of an individual's identity, which can include:
- Disability
- Gender identity
- Race, ethnicity or nationality
- Religion, faith or belief
- Sexual orientation
A victim of hate crime does not have to be a member of a minority group or someone who is generally considered to be a 'vulnerable' person. In fact, anyone could be a victim of a hate crime.
Insp Kelly Glister said: "Hate crime cases reported directly to the police are low. I hope the awareness event will encourage people to have the trust and confidence to report matters to the police in order for us to take action and do something positive about it.
"People should not have to suffer because they belong to a certain social group.While in the main, we have a very inclusive and cohesive community across Aylesbury Vale, we take reports of hate crime very seriously and we would like to encourage victims to come forward and report incidents to us via 101. If we know about it we can help.
"We are committed to identifying, tackling and reducing hate crime in all its forms. I hope that this event will show victims that the police and its partners take all incidents of hate crime seriously and action will be taken against those that target individuals."
Councillor Pam Pearce, AVDC Cabinet Member for Community Matters, said: "Residents should be able to feel safe and secure in communities across our district, and I feel information about hate crime and how we are working to tackle it is very important. I would also encourage anyone unable to attend to report hate crime to the police immediately, there is no need to suffer this abuse and help is available."
We know hate crime can have a devastating impact on victims, sometimes resulting in living in fear of the perpetrators. Anyone who may feel uneasy or worried, for whatever reason, about contacting the police can speak to Stop Hate UK in confidence. You can choose to remain anonymous if you wish and a referral will be passed on to the police, local council and Victim Support, only with your consent.
