Hate incidents and crimes DO constitute antisocial behaviour.
A hate incident is one which the victim, or anyone else, believes to be based on prejudice towards them. This could be because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age or gender (including transgender).
Not all hate incidents will amount to criminal offences, but all should be reported to Police Scotland on 101. You must also tell them if you are concerned about your safety.
Hate crime can fall into one of three main types: physical assault, verbal abuse and incitement to hatred.
Please report anything you believe to be a hate crime to the Police in the first instance. After you have done this, you should contact us with the incident report number or crime reference and the Police Officer’s name. We will then be able to contact them so we can work together to agree on the next steps.
Anyone who has been the target of hate crime due to sexual orientation or gender identity can access additional support through Galop - the UK’s LGBT+ anti-abuse charity.
