National Hate Crime Awareness Week

This week is National Hate Crime Awareness Week. The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex supports various organisations across the county that help victims of Hate Crime and work to prevent it. Working with the Essex Strategic Hate Crime Partnership we are committed to making a difference to people’s lives by improving support services, encouraging reporting and tackling incidents of hate crime. The PFCC commissions the Essex Hate Crime Coordinator and provides funding to the 24-hour Stop Hate UK helpline service in Essex. Roger Hirst said: “This year, Essex Police have had a total of 3,572 hate crimes reported to them. An increase of 266 from the previous year. Any crime committed against someone because of their race, religion, race, religion, sex, parental or marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability is wholly unacceptable in modern society. "Hate crime has no place in Essex and I encourage all victims of such crimes to report the incident and seek any help they need from one of the various organisations who are able to assist. “Only by working together can we stamp out hate crime in all its forms and ensure victims feel fully supported.”

How to get help

If you’ve been affected by hate, please reach out for help: Tell Essex Police Call: 101 anytime (999 in an emergency) Website: Report a crime | Essex Police If you don’t feel comfortable with reporting hate crime to the police in the first instance, you can contact Stop Hate UK. You can also visit one of our Hate Incident Reporting Centres and speak to one of our trained Hate Crime Ambassadors. Alternatively, you can speak to Victim Support, a national charity who can signpost you to organisations who can help you. They can be reached on 08 08 16 89 111 or you can request support through their website. If you wish to report hate crime you can submit information anonymously online via Crimestoppers, through the Essex Police website or by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.