Hate Crime
At Abbey Gates we are committed to being an inclusive school, providing the best possible standard of education for every child. Our RSHE and Schools for Peace curriculum helps pupils to celebrate similarities and differences in others no matter what their background.
Hate crime and bullying
There is no legal definition of a hate crime. However, the police and the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) have an agreed definition of hate crime as:
"Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender."
There is a distinction between a hate crime and a hate incident.
"A hate incident is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone’s prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they are transgender."
However, a hate incident does not necessarily break the law. Where a hate incident amounts to a criminal offence, and is based on one of the five protected characteristics, it is known as a hate crime.
The type of conduct which will be considered as a hate incident is wide ranging and includes the following:
- verbal abuse;
- harassment;
- bullying or intimidation;
- physical attacks;
- threats of violence;
- hoax calls, abusive phone or text messages, hate mail;
- online abuse;
- displaying or circulating discriminatory literature or posters;
- graffiti;
- arson;
- throwing rubbish in a garden; and
- malicious complaints.
If you have any concerns that your child may have have been the victim of a prejudice-related incident please contact school who will work with you.
True Vision is a police funded website, which provides information about hate crime incidents and on how to report it https://www.report-it.org.uk/home
More information can be found on the Anti-Bullying Alliance Website