A hate crime is a criminal incident against a person or property, which is perceived by the victim or another person to be motivated by the offender’s hostility or prejudice of the person’s:

• Race
• Religion and belief
• Disability
• Sexual Orientation
• Gender or gender identity (i.e. transgender)
• Nationality
• Age

A 'hate incident' is any non-criminal incident where the perpetrator's prejudice against any identifiable group of people is a factor in determining who is victimised.

All hate crimes are hate incidents, but not all hate incidents will involve a criminal offence, so are therefore not recorded as a hate crime.

Hate crime can take many forms, and may include physical, verbal, or psychological abuse. Examples include:

• Physical attack i.e. assault
• Written or verbal insults e.g. abusive phone calls, offensive letters
• Vandalism
• Graffiti
• Threatening behaviour

Anybody can be a victim of hate crime. It hurts because it’s personal, and nobody should have to suffer for the ignorance of others.
Our officers understand the anger and frustration you may feel, and aim to support you in a way that is sensitive and best suited to your individual, cultural and local needs.

The Minorities Support Unit (www.south-wales.police.uk/en/content/cms/About-Us/Departments/Minorities-Support-U/) proactively manages all incidents of hate crime at a local level on behalf of the Chief Constable, and there is a dedicated Hate Crime Officer based in each division of the force area.

If you believe that you or someone you know is a victim of hate crime, we want to know. Discriminatory behaviour is totally unacceptable, and we want to prevent you or somebody else having to experience it again.

Please rest assured that none of the information you provide will be disclosed to a third party without your prior consent - anything you tell us will remain strictly confidential.

We appreciate that you may feel uncertain about reporting an incident for personal reasons, but just telling somebody can still make a positive difference.

To report a Hate Crime through OneVale please fill in form(achieveforms.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/af/an/default.aspx/RenderForm/?F.Name=Z8aWqHb5zb2)

To report information to South Wales Police, call 101. In an emergency, always dial 999.

For confidential, specialist advice and support, call the Minorities Support Unit on 01639 889194, who will be happy to discuss your incident with you.