Hate Crime Awareness Week 14-21 October

Hate crime is defined as "any criminal offence which is perceived, by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic." Hate crime is a crime that is motivated by hatred against a person or group because of their race or ethnicity, religion or beliefs, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity. 

Figures released by the Office for National Statistics earlier this month show a slight decline in the number of hate crimes recorded by police forces across England and Wales, however this fall may be linked to new Home Office guidance which raises the threshold under which an incident is recorded as a hate crime. Marginalised groups are still on the receiving end of more than 140,000 hate crime incidents, with a 9% rise in religious hate crimes and an 11% increase in transgender hate crimes.

Perpetrators of crimes have undoubtedly been emboldened by the type of hateful rhetoric which has now become part of our political discourse. Migrants and other marginalised groups are common targets, cover for the failures of the government. This is often dressed up as free speech or “anti-woke”, but is little more than outright hate.

Hate crime in the workplace

Being the victim of any crime can be a difficult and traumatising experience, but it is made all the worse when it is linked to an element of your identity. If you believe you’ve been a victim of a hate crime at work, there are practical steps you can take to address this, and your PCS rep should be able to help you and support you through the process. For more information, read our guide on what to do if you experience a hate crime or incident in the workplace.

To find your local PCS rep, log in to PCS Digital.