Our stance on hate crime
Central Bedfordshire Council passed a motion condemning hate crime at its meeting on Thursday 21 July.
We believe that building strong local communities is crucial for all. Such communities bring together people of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities. This diversity creates resilience, with people supporting each other and working together to make Central Bedfordshire a great place to live and work.
Hate crimes have no place here, and we will continue to tackle such incidents across Central Bedfordshire.
What is hate crime
A hate crime or a hate incident is any behaviour that you or someone else thinks was caused by hostility, prejudice or hatred of:
- disability - including physical, hearing, visual impairments, mental health problems or learning disabilities
- gender identity - people who are transgender, transsexual or transvestite
- race - skin colour, nationality, ethnicity or heritage
- religion, faith or belief - including people without a religious belief
- sexual orientation - people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or heterosexual
A hate incident is the same as a hate crime. The only difference is that the behaviour falls short of being a crime.
Report hate crimes
We need hate crimes and incidents to be reported, so that we can support victims and witnesses and make sure action is taken against perpetrators.
You can report incidents to Bedfordshire Police via the non-emergency phone number 101. Call 999 if there is a crime in progress.
All incidents are taken seriously and details can be given in strict confidence.
National support groups offering help and advice
Stop Hate UK 24 hour helpline: 0800 138 1625 or text relay to 18001 0800 138 1625
Victim Support: 0808 1689 111
Family Lives bullying helpline: 0808 800 2222
National Bullying helpline: 0845 22 55 787
Bedfordshire Hate Crime Strategy
In 2013, the three Community Safety Partnerships of Bedfordshire, the Police and Crime Commissioner and voluntary support services joined forces to look at hate crime and hate incidents that our communities face. Reports of hate crime and incidents are low as people do not always like to report what has happened to them, or to someone they know.
To make a difference in Bedfordshire we created the Bedfordshire Hate Crime Strategy. The strategy shows hate crime and incident issues in Bedfordshire, what we are doing and how we work together to support our communities.