Hate crimes and harassment

 

Find out what hate crime and harassment mean, how to report an incident, what happens next and where you can get support.

 

If you need help now

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999.

If a crime has happened but there's no immediate danger, you can report it to the police by calling 101. 

 

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Understanding hate crimes

A hate crime is a criminal offence motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone because of their:

  • disability
  • race or ethnicity
  • religion or belief
  • sexual orientation
  • transgender identity

Hate crimes can include:

  • threatening behaviour
  • physical assault
  • robbery
  • damage to property
  • harassment
  • online abuse
  • encouraging others to commit hate crimes 

 

Understanding harassment

Harassment is unwanted behaviour that causes someone distress or makes them feel threatened, intimidated or humiliated.

It may be related to someone's:

  • age
  • sex
  • disability
  • gender reassignment
  • race
  • religion or belief
  • sexual orientation

It can include:

  • verbal abuse
  • threats or intimidation
  • spreading rumours
  • repeated unwanted behaviour
  • deliberately undermining someone
  • abusive messages, emails or social media posts

Harassment can happen in person, online, over the phone or in writing.

 

Reporting hate crimes or harassment to us

If you're experiencing hate crime or harassment, or you're concerned about someone else, please tell us. 

The sooner you report an incident, the sooner we can look into what's happened and discuss how we can support you.

Call our customer service centre

 

How we respond to your report

When you report hate crime or a hate-related incident to us, we'll review the information and aim to contact you within one working day.

We'll then:

  • discuss what happened and how it's affecting you
  • consider any risks and support needs
  • agree what happens next with you within five working days
  • discuss how often you'll receive updates
  • update you on progress and any action we take 

Our aim is to make sure you feel supported and understand what's happening throughout your case.

 

Monitoring and improving our service

We regularly review how we respond to hate crime and harassment reports to make sure residents receive a consistent and supportive service.

We check:

  • whether we meet our commitments to contact residents
  • whether risk assessments and action plans are completed when needed
  • whether residents receive updates as agreed
  • the quality of our case management, records and actions
  • what residents tell us about their experience and satisfaction with our service

We also look at trends in hate crime reports and use what we learn to improve how we support residents.

 

Making a complaint about our service

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your report, you can make a complaint.

We'll review your concerns and consider whether we followed our policies and service standards.

How to make a complaint to L&Q

 

National and local support services

You can also get advice and support from specialist organisations.

 

CATCH

Provides advice, support and advocacy for people affected by hate crime in London.

 

Community Security Trust (CST)

Provides support and advice for people affected by antisemitic hate crime.

Call: 0800 032 3263

 

Crimestoppers

Allows you to report crime anonymously.

Call: 0800 555 111

 

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Provides information and guidance on discrimination and human rights.

Call: 0808 800 0082

If you have a disability or need extra support, call 0161 829 8327 and leave a message.

 

Galop

Supports LGBT+ people affected by hate crime, domestic abuse or sexual violence.

London: 020 7704 2040

National: 0800 999 5428

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 10am to 5pm.

 

True Vision

Provides information about hate crime and how to report it, including different reporting options.

 

Victim Support

Provides support and advice for victims and witnesses of crime and antisocial behaviour.

Call: 0808 168 9111 

 

Last updated: October 2026

 

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