Reporting hate crime

Essex Police takes hate crime very seriously and we would encourage you to report it to us.

It’s important to let us know about hate crime to give us a chance to investigate and prevent anyone else being attacked or insulted, yet many incidents go unreported out of fear or embarrassment.

It’s okay to feel this way but please don’t feel to blame. Everyone has the right to live their life free from abuse and violence whoever they are. You don’t have to live with hate crime.

Hate crime units

We understand reporting hate crime is difficult but we have a team of specially trained officers on hand to help. They will treat your case with sensitivity and respect wishes for confidentiality.

Whether you chose to contact us is entirely up to you but the more information we have, the more effectively our officers can work to combat hate crime.

You can contact us in the usual ways or call your local hate crime unit on the numbers below.

If you do not feel able to contact us directly there are other options which you can read about below.

Uttlesford district and Halstead
01376 556268
 
Braintree and Witham
01376 556223
 
Chelmsford and Maldon
01245 490840
 
Colchester
01206 717834
 
Tendring
01255 254078
 
Harlow, Epping and Brentwood
01279 625431
 
Rayleigh and Castle Point and Southend
01702 423151

How else can I report hate crime?

If you don’t feel able to contact police directly, you can download a self reporting form and hand it in at your local police station.

This is a way of reporting hate crime in the strictest confidence whether you directly experienced, witnessed or are reporting it on behalf of someone else.

You do not have to give your name or address but please bear in mind an officer will be unable to contact you if you choose to remain anonymous.

You can also report hate crime to other organisations throughout Essex, anonymously if you wish. If you would rather not call the police, use the list below to find out who else you can contact.

Braintree District Council Customer Service Centre
01376 552525
Website: www.braintree.gov.uk/

Epping Forest Hate Crime Incident Panel
01992 564005
Website: www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/

Greenfields Community Housing
This is service is run by Greenfields Community Housing and is linked to Greenfields tenancy.
Phone: 01376 567300
E-mail: info@greenfieldsch.org.uk
Website: www.greenfieldsch.org.uk/

Thurrock Council Corporate Diversity Team
Works across Thurrock Council to promote diversity and tackle inequality.
Phone: 01375 652472
E-mail: diversity@thurrock.gov.uk
Website: www.thurrock.gov.uk/

You can also report crime anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

What happens next?

When you report an incident one of our officers will visit you, ask some questions and complete a questionnaire to gather as much information as possible about the offence.

The officer will also help you make a statement. This not only helps the officer decide on the appropriate course of action but allows them to assess the risk posed to you by the offender and offer the best support.

Try not to drink alcohol after the incident as it’s important you can give a clear account of what has happened.

Your officer will help you come to terms with what has happened and try to offer a solution to the problem. Although justice is important, we do our best to understand your feelings, look at each case individually and consider the wishes of everyone involved.

If the case does go to court you will be kept up to date every step of the way and offered support by your officer and support organisations whose staff are all trained to deal sensitively with hate crime.

Sometimes it’s not possible to take the case to court even if you wish to but that doesn’t mean we can’t help. Our officers have close links with local and national support groups who can offer support, guidance and advice during difficult times.

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