Willow Tree Housing Partnership (WTHP) takes hate crime very seriously because of the devastating impact it has on individuals and communities. All WTHP residents, staff and contractors have the right to go about their daily lives without fear or intimidation. No resident, staff member or contractor should feel they are singled out, excluded or mistreated because of who they are, or because they belong to a particular group.
A 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.'
A hate incident may or may not, constitute a criminal offence. It is a hate incident if the victim or any other person thinks it was motivated wholly or partly by hostility or prejudice based on one or more of the following characteristics:
• Race
• Religion and belief
• Disability
• Sexual orientation
• Transgender identity
When a hate incident is identified as a criminal offence it is known as a hate crime. Any criminal offence can be a hate crime if it was carried out because of hostility or prejudice based on the above five characteristics.
Hate incidents and crime can take several forms including:
• Verbal abuse
• Harassment
• Bullying or intimidation
• Physical attacks
• Threats of violence
• Abusive phone calls, text messages or hate mail
• Online abuse through social media
• Displaying or circulating discriminatory literature
• Vandalism or damage to a person’s home or personal belongings
• Graffiti
• Arson
• Malicious complaints
Both hate incidents and hate crime are a breach of tenancy and will be dealt with as such.
In responding to reports of a hate incident or crime we will follow our anti-social behaviour procedure and will:
• Adopt a victim-led approach, which means that if a person or a third party feels that they or someone else has experienced a hate incident or crime we will accept at the outset their version of events and conduct an investigation to establish the facts
• Talk and liaise with victims, agree an action plan and encourage them to report incidents to the Police
• Review any potential vulnerability and risk of harm to the victim and their family, and where appropriate and agreed put in place any safeguarding measures
• Offer victims and complainants our support and signpost to specialist support services
• Adapt our response to the individual circumstances and needs of the victim, recognising that every reported hate incident or crime will be different.
If you have any questions or queries then 'Contact Us'.
To report a hate crime, please use the report ASB online form.
