Hate crime

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A hate incident is any incident where the victim or someone else believes is motivated by hate, hostility, or prejudice. This can be because of a person's characteristics or a characteristic they are believed to have. If a hate incident breaks the law then it is a hate crime.

There are 5 types of hate crimes which are monitored nationally. These are crimes which are believed to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s real or perceived:

• Race or ethnicity
• Religion or beliefs
• Sexual orientation
• Disability
• Transgender identity

The police also monitor hate crimes based on other characteristics like age, gender and appearance.

Hate crimes can manifest in different ways and can be grouped under 3 categories:

• Physical assault: physical assault of any kind is an offence. An assault is when someone physically attacks you, or threatens to attack you.
• Verbal abuse: verbal abuse, threats or name-calling can be common forms of hate crime.
• Incitement to hatred: when someone acts in a way that is threatening and intended to stir up hatred. That could be in words, pictures, videos, music and includes information posted on websites. Hate content may include
  • messages calling for violence against a specific person or group
  • web pages that show pictures, videos or descriptions of violence against anyone due to their perceived differences
  • chat forums where people ask other people to commit hate crimes against a specific person or group#

What is being done about hate crime

Kingston Council is committed to work with partner organisations to keep Kingston a safe borough to live, work, study and visit where hate crime is not tolerated.

The Police and Crime Plan for London

The London Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) and the Metropolitan Police Service have a statutory duty to make sure that all hate crimes are dealt with properly. The Police and Crime Plan for London (2022-2025) sets out a vision for a city in which Londoners are safer - and feel safer. One of the 4key themes is ‘reducing and preventing violence’ which includes preventing hate crime. You can read The Police and Crime Plan for London (2022-2025) online.

Kingston

In the Borough, Kingston Race and Equalities Council (KREC) works with other agencies to tackle discrimination and hate crime and to promote equality of opportunity and good relations.

Kingston Anti-Hate Crime Action Group

The Kingston Anti-Hate Crime Action Group sets a priority to ensure residents and communities feel safe, with a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime. The group is coordinated by KREC in partnership with the Council and the Police, it was formed in 2018 and formally launched at the Hate Crime Conference in June 2019. It is designed to bring organisations together to tackle hate crimes and incidents in the Borough and ensure victims receive a high-quality service.

In the past years, services and communities have come together to celebrate diversity at events including Kingston Carnival, events to mark National Hate Crime Awareness Week, Black History Month, Pride, Disability History Month, and International Women's Day.