|
|
|
|
|
|
Tayside Police takes hate crime very seriously and encourages members of all communities to report incidents to the police. Even if
what happened does not amount to a crime then we will still record it for information and future reference.
A hate crime is where you become a victim of any crime or antisocial behaviour because of your race, faith, age, sexual orientation,
gender or because you have a disability. You do not have to prove that the incident was motivated by prejudice - if you or any other
person believes that it was then it will be treated as a hate crime.
Because of the nature of hate crime, victims often find it difficult to report it to the police and in many cases criminals take
advantage of this fact thinking that they can commit crime and it won't be reported. There are a number of options which
we hope will make it easier for you to report hate crime to the police.
Please remember that if you want to report an incident, but for whatever reason do not wish to give your contact details, we encourage
you to use Crimestoppers, who will not ask for your name.
Methods of Reporting a Hate Crime Incident
If it is an emergency and police attendance is immediately required to prevent injury to any person or to arrest offenders for a
serious offence then dial 999.
The following methods of reporting hate crime will not provide an immediate response and as such are for non-emergency situations.
- Phoning the police - non-emergency number 0300 111 2222 [Click for details]
- You can telephone and ask for a police officer to attend and take a note of what happened. There
is a lot of demand for policing services and all calls are treated according to their seriousness.
If you are calling to report a hate crime and it is still going on, tell the call taker so that they can
send an officer quickly. Otherwise arrangements can be made for an officer to come and see you at a suitable time.
- Go to your local police station [Click for details]
- You can find details of your local police station in the "Where I Live" section of this website
and go to speak to officers there. Please note that not all of our local police stations are open 24 hours a day.
Alternatively, you can come to Divisional Headquarters in Dundee, Forfar or Perth
which are staffed 24 hours a day.
You can report a hate crime incident or crime to these police stations at any time. Please ensure that you take any
relevant documents with you, for example hate mail if you have received any, as we may need to retain it as evidence.
Our police stations can be busy so you may have to wait your turn to be seen by a member of police staff. Please allow
at least half an hour to make the report.
- Reporting to a police officer in the street [Click for details]
- You can also report any hate crime incident to a police officer in the street. However please be aware that the officer
may be assigned to a particular duty or dealing with another call that might prevent them from taking a report. If that is
the case they may refer you to your local police station.
- Remote Reporting [Click for details]
- You can now report crime without speaking to us directly. Remote Reporting is available through third party agencies in
Tayside or online. Visit www.tayside.police.uk/remotereporting to find out more.
- Reporting anonymously - call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 [Click for details]
- Crimestoppers is a national organisation that allows
victims or anyone with any information about a crime to tell the police without giving their name if they don't want to.
Callers may receive a reward for information provided. Calls to Crimestoppers are answered by trained staff. The Crimestoppers
number is 0800 555 111.
- Reporting hate crime online [Click for details]
- If you feel that none of the above options suit you, please complete the following email form.
Please provide your name, contact details and a time when you can be contacted between 8am and 4pm,
Monday to Friday. A member of Tayside Police will get back in touch with you.
What Happens Once You Have Reported a Hate Crime?
After we have received the report one of a number of things can happen.
If the incident is a crime then a crime report will be created and an enquiry carried out to trace the person(s)
responsible. If the person is traced and there is enough evidence then the person may be charged in relation to the offence and reported
to the Procurator Fiscal who will decide what action to take.
On some occasions the person(s) responsible may not be traced.
If the incident is not a crime we will make a record of the information provided and it will assist us in getting a better
understanding of hate related incidents in the Tayside area.
Victim Support works closely with Tayside Police and can provide
support to victims of crime, whether or not they have been reported to us.
Go to main Tayside Police Contact Details page
|
|
