Everyone at Citizens Advice understands how distressing and frightening a Hate Crime can be.
Our team are here to help you get support and information. If you want to report the hate crime we will guide you through that process
Keeping safe and immediate help
- Call 999 if a hate crime is happening now or if someone is in immediate danger
- Call 101 if it’s not an emergency
What is a Hate Crime?
A hate crime is defined as:
“Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s:
- disability (including mental health or learning difficulty)
- race, colour, ethnicity or nationality
- religion or belief
- sexual orientation
- transgender identity
- gender identity
- age”
Hate incidents and hate crime are acts of hostility directed at people because of who they are or who someone thinks they are
A hate crime can take many forms including a physical assault or attack, damage to property, offensive graffiti, arson, threatening and abusive behaviour including abusive gestures
Check if you’ve experienced a hate crime or a hate incident
Confidential free advice phone Citizens Advice in Somerset: 0808 278 7842
Support if you live in Somerset
In Somerset a group of organisations are working together to improve the support available to people who have experienced a hate crime. Our partners include:
- SARI
Stand Against Racism & Inequality, 0117 942 0060 - Swan Advocacy
South West Advocacy Network, 03333 447 928 - Somerset County Council
- The Diversity Trust
[email protected] 07720294991
Getting help from hate crimes support services in Somerset
You can get help whether or not you decide to report the hate crime or hate incident. You can also report the hate crime directly to the police.
If you don’t want to talk to the police, you can ask an independent organisation to report it for you anonymously. These independent organisations are called ‘third party reporting centres’ and provide assistance for people in Somerset:
