Disability Hate Crime

disability hate crime

what is it? what can you do about it?

message from Bexley police The police want you to be safe and to stop all hate crime incidents.

The police want you to tell them about crime.

If you need help you can 

phone the police



talk to the police in the street or to a police officer you know



go to a police station

If you make a report you will be asked for your name so that the police can contact you.

The police will meet with you to talk about what happened.

They will write down what you say.

After you make the report the police will get evidence.

They will find out the facts.

They will talk to people and get more information.

The police will show the evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service.

contents about disability hate crime

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what is hate crime?

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what are the crimes that can happen?

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who does hate crime happen to?

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what is a disability?

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why do people do hate crimes?

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reporting disability hate crime

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who to tell

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telling the police

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keeping your name private

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at court

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who else can help you?

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what to say when you report hate crime

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how to help someone when they tell you about a hate crime

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effects of disability hate crime 24 how does hate crime make people feel?

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what people in Bexley say

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what happens to people who do hate crime?

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stories about hate crime

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word list

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important contacts

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Some difficult words are coloured blue.

You can find them in the word list on page 30.

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about disability hate crime

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what is hate crime?

Hate crime is when someone bullies or hurts someone else because they are different.

Sometimes this happens because someone has a disability.

what are the crimes that can happen?

Any sort of crime can be a hate crime.

These are some of the things that could happen



stealing money or taking things that belong to you

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shouting or calling you names

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hurting your body, for example kicking

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bullying on the internet or on your phone

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spitting at you

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hurting you in a sexual way

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touching you in a sexual way when you do not want it

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threatening you

these are crimes you should report them

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who does hate crime happen to?

Hate crime can happen to lots of different people.

Usually people do hate crime because they think another person is different from them in some way.

This could be because of



their disability

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where they come from

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their religion

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their sexuality

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their race

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their age



their gender

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what is a disability?

Disability is when someone cannot do all the same things as most people.

This is because 

they have an illness or condition with their body or brain



people and places do not give them enough help to do things.

There are different illnesses or conditions that can be part of a person’s disability.



learning disability or difficulty

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physical disability, for example using a wheelchair or being small

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complex needs

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Deaf

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blind

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deafblind

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long-term illness, for example Multiple Sclerosis



brain damage

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epilepsy



mental health problems



autism and Aspergers

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why do people do hate crimes?

Anyone can do a hate crime.

It could be 

a stranger



someone you know



someone who pretends to be a friend This is sometimes called mate crime

People do hate crimes for different reasons 

they do not know any better This is called ignorance



they think some people are not as a good as others This is called prejudice



they treat some people worse than others This is called discrimination



they think it is fun

hate crime is wrong there is no a good reason for hate crime

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reporting disability hate crime

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who to tell If a hate crime has happened to you, you should tell someone.

These are some people you could tell 

friends or family



a support worker or key worker at home or at a day service



someone who works for an organisation you know, like a supporter



bus driver

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social worker

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police or transport police

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a teacher or staff at college



someone you work with, like a manager

You should tell someone you feel safe with.

If you are in danger call 999 as soon as possible

telling the police

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Sometimes people can be worried about talking to the police. They can find it difficult to answer questions or remember what to say.

The person you tell can support you to tell the police.

If you report the hate crime to the police, the person who did the crime may go to court.

999 18000

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if you are in danger

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if a crime is happening now

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if a crime has already happened

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if you are not in danger right now



calls cost 15p a minute

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Bromley Police Community Safety Unit

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information, advice and support about hate crime

textphone

101 18001 101 textphone

020 8284 8760

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reporting a hate crime online You can fill in a form online saying what happened. You do not have to give your name and address. www.report-it.org.uk/your_police_force reporting a hate crime by phone You can call Crimestoppers to report any crime. You do not have to give your name and address.

0800 555 111

keeping your name private Some people do not want to give their name and address when they report a hate crime.

The police will make sure you are safe if you report a hate crime. But there are ways of keeping your details private if you want to.

If you talk to the police and give your name, it is easier for the police to catch the person.

at court

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If there is a court case you do not need to be in the same room as the person who did the crime. There are different ways you can say what happened 

behind a screen



on a live video from another room



on a video you recorded already

There will be someone to help you in the courtroom. You can have help communicating if you need it, like sign language, pictures, or electronic aids.

who else can help you?

There are different organisations that can help you if a hate crime has happened to you.

They can help you report the crime or they can talk to you about what happened.

Different organisations help people with different disabilities. Some of these organisations are on the next few pages.

18 Advocacy for All advocates for people with a variety of disabilities 020 8300 9666 0845 832 0044 to make a referral info@advocacyforall.org.uk

MCCH – Jigsaw Project raises awareness of disability hate crime and supports people to report hate crime 07738 642411 jigsaw@mcch.org.uk

Bexley Speaking Up Group self advocacy support to people with a learning disability or difficulty who do not get support from the council 020 8300 9666 info@advocacyforall.org.uk

Bexley Mencap advice and support for people with a learning disability or difficulty and their families 0208 303 6336 office@bexleymencap.org.uk

Bexley SNAP advice, support and services for families with disabled children 01322 359 475 admin@bexleysnap.org.uk Kent Association for the Blind support services for people with sight impairments 020 8464 8406 rehab.bromley@kab.org.uk Mind in Bexley support and services for people with mental health problems 020 8303 5816 info@mindinbexley.org.uk Respect in Bexley part of Bexley Mencap self advocacy support for people with a learning disability who get support from the council 0208 313 3034 Bexley Deaf Centre information, education and support for Deaf people 01322 351122 bexleydeafcentre@fsmail.com

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what to say when you report a hate crime The more you can remember about what happened the more it helps. Make a note of what you can remember as soon as possible.

Sometimes it is hard to remember everything or to say what you want to say. The list on the next page shows some of the important things to remember.

You can get help if you need it. Look at our list of who can help on page 18.

what the person said to you

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for example the bad words they used

what the person did to you for example throwing something, touching you, stealing something

why they did the crime did they say something about disabled people that makes you think it was a hate crime?

where it happened

when it happened

who did it for example a man or woman, one person or a group

person’s name and address if you know it

what they were like for example what they looked like, what they were wearing, how old they were

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how to help someone when they tell you about a hate crime listen! 

listen carefully



believe what the person tells you and take it seriously



use words they understand or things that can help like pictures or sign language

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write down what they say

report it!



support the person to tell the police or report it for them

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go with them to the police station if they need you to

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support the person to tell other people who can help, like social services or an advocate

help the person to feel better! 

keep calm and help them be calm

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listen to how the person feels and be understanding

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listen to the person’s worries and help them feel as safe as they can

If a young person or an adult at risk tells you

 they are in danger  they have been abused you should report it Police and social services numbers on the back page.

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effects of disability hate crime

how does hate crime make people feel?

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Hate crime can make people feel very bad.

Some of the feelings people have are 

shock

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feeling vulnerable

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fear

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depression

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anxiety

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trouble sleeping

People can feel much worse after hate crime than after other types of crime.

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what people in Bexley say I have mental health issues and I’ve got a disability. I find it hard when I am put down, when the bully takes the mick out of me. It happens when I am on the bus or in the street. I find it hard to stand up for myself.

children called me mental kid

We need to stick together.

The only form of bullying I had was in a relationship.

We could go into schools and do training about Learning Disability awareness.

I have been bullied about 9,999 times in my life, every day, usually several times a day from being an infant to a young adult.

When I went to the shop a car came past me and they threw an egg at me.

It makes me sad.

It always me angry when people are not nice to me.

I have been called a mong for being different to normal people that can do stuff.

what happens to people who do hate crime?

Police and courts should take hate crime very seriously. Police work hard to make sure that people who do hate crime go to court.

There are new rules about hate crime and what punishments people should get.

If people are found guilty of hate crime the rules say they should get worse punishments than for other crimes.

For example, if someone steals your money because you have a disability, they will get a worse punishment than if they steal your money for a different reason.

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stories about hate crime

Mary’s story Mary has Down’s syndrome. One day she went to the post office. Outside a group of young men started calling her names about being disabled.

One man took her bag, purse and her mobile phone.

Mary went back into the post office and they called the police. They also called Mary’s friend who came to support her.

The police talked to Mary and to people at the post office. A witness saw him take Mary’s bag and heard him shouting names about being disabled.

The case went to court and he was found guilty of theft and because of what he had said about Mary’s disability, he got a longer sentence.

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Shareenah’s story Shareenah lives with her husband. She is in a wheelchair after she had a car accident. One evening a brick was thrown through a window in their flat.

Shareenah’s neighbour saw the man who did it.

She did not say anything that day but the neighbour had seen him throwing things at Shareenah’s windows before and had heard him say that he hated people in wheelchairs.

The case went to court and the man was found guilty of criminal damage. Because of what the man had done and said in the past, the court believed he had done this damage because he did not like disabled people.

The court said that this was a disability hate crime and gave the man a more serious punishment.

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word list

advocate

a person who listens to what you want and helps you speak up for your rights

Crown Prosecution Service

the main law agency in the UK. They decide if there is enough evidence for a case to go to court.

discrimination

treating someone worse than others because they are different

electronic aid

a computer that helps someone communicate, for example by pressing a button to make a word or a message

evidence

things that help prove that a crime has happened. For example what people say or photos of damage

gender

whether someone is a man or a woman, including transgender people

ignorance

not knowing about things like disability

prejudice

thinking someone is not as good as you because they are different

race

whether someone is Black, white, Asian or something else

religion

what someone believes in, like Christianity, Islam or something else

sexuality

whether someone is straight, gay or bisexual

threaten

telling a person you are going to hurt them in some way

important contacts websites

www.report-it.org.uk/disability_hate_crime1 

report hate crime

www.stophateuk.org 

report hate crime

www.arcuk.org.uk/safetynet 

information about mate crime

www.safernet.org.uk 

information about staying safe on the internet

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important contacts phone numbers

999 101 15p a call

social services

020 8303 7777

emergencies not emergencies Safer Neighbourhood Teams safeguarding for young people and adults at risk

0208 303 6336

safe places to go for help if in danger or worried

0845 3030 900

help for victims of crime

Bexley Mencap

a list of local organisations that can help is on page 18