Hate crimes hurt individuals and communities, and reporting them allows the University and the police to better understand and deal with what is happening.
Hate incidents and hate crime are acts of violence or hostility against a person or property that is motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person due to a particular characteristic. This could be a disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, transgender identity or an alternative sub-culture hate crime. A victim does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted. In fact, anyone could be a victim of a hate crime.
For more information, please download the OPCC (Office for Police and Crime Commissioner)'s guide for victims and witnesses of Hate Crime.
Think
Are they in immediate danger? If they are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you/they can contact the emergency services on 999 (or 112 from a mobile phone) and the University’s Security Team (if you are on campus).
Find a safe space. If an incident has just happened, try and find somewhere they feel safe. If this isn't possible and they are scared you can call security on 02380 593311.
What is a hate crime? It might be useful to think about what a hate crime is and how some of the behaviours are described.
Talk
Listen. Just taking the time to listen to someone and talk about what has happened can help. These six active listening tips might help you support them. (Published on 4 October 2015 and based on the Samaritans guidelines for active listening.)
Give options. When they have finished talking ask them if they are okay to talk through some possible options and next steps.
Report
Report and Support. Students and staff can report an incident using the University’s Report and Support system. You can choose to do this anonymously or you can request support from an advisor. If you choose to talk to an advisor they will be able to talk through the options and support available to you, in confidence.
University policy. If you choose to make a formal complaint to the University against a student or a member of staff there are procedures which set out the steps you will need to follow.
Report | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary In an emergency or if you are in immediate danger you should dial 999. Otherwise, you can call 101 or visit your local police station or use How to report hate crime | Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary to report the incident to the police. Reporting is a big decision and all of the support services linked here can support you with this.
Report the incident anonymously. You can call Crime Stoppers at any point on 0800 555 111 or use their online form. Southampton Hate Crime app. Report to the Soutahmpton and Hampshire Hate Crime Network using the 'Love don't hate' reporting app. To download the app, visit Google Play or the Apple App Store and search for 'Southampton Love Don't Hate'.
Get support
Remember you are not alone, there are always people here to support you.
You can find more information on our "What support is available" page.