Did you know that globally, over half of football fans (54%) have witnessed racist abuse while watching a football game, but only 28% would know how to appropriately report such incidents?
We’re well and truly into the World Cup now, and it’s a great opportunity to celebrate how multicultural football has become! However, there’s still a lot of work to be done to tackle prejudice – as seen in the largest study of its kind by football’s equality and inclusion organisation Kick It Out and live-score app Forza Football.
This week in our World Cup campaign we’re talking hate crime: what it can look like and what to look out for, how you can get help and assist your neighbours if they find themselves a victim, and what PA has in place to support victims of hate incidents and hate crime.
What are hate incidents and hate crime?
The College of Policing defines hate incidents as any non-crime incident which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a 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/transgender or perceived to be transgender.
A hate incident can then become a hate crime as soon as it involves actions that break the law.
Hate crime and incidents can happen in multiple forms, the following being just a few:
- Physical assault
- Bullying
- Harassment
- Verbal abuse, insults and threats
- Damage to property or personal belongings
- Threatening or abusive behaviour including spitting, ridicule of cultural differences, arson, offensive jokes or comments
Racist abuse continues to be the most persistent type of hate crime seen throughout the World Cup but Kick It Out’s 2024/25 report highlighted spikes in sexism and misogyny (67%), ableism (45%), as well as transphobic abuse doubling.
Read the full stats hereI’ve witnessed hate incidents or a hate crime, what should I do?
Hate crimes and incidents should always be reported to the police as the first step. For non-emergencies please use 101, and for emergencies please use 999. Incidents are reported and tracked nationally, so it is important to report any instances to them.
Once you have spoken to the police, please use our Report antisocial behaviour form online to send us the incident report number and the name of the officer you spoke to so we can contact them and work alongside them to agree on next steps with you. If it’s an emergency and you need a response sooner, please contact us by phone on 0300 123 2221.
If you do not believe you can safely return to your home, you should report this to the police; we cannot offer any temporary accommodation, but if the police agree it is not safe for you to return home you can approach your local authority for emergency accommodation (with proof of the police verification).
Please do not try to step in and resolve hate incidents yourself, as it could put you in danger. If you do have any conversations with someone causing these incidents or committing a hate crime, please include this in any reports you make so we have as many details as possible.
How will PA support victims of hate incidents and hate crime?
Where a hate crime or incident is reported to us, we cannot always take enforcement action without evidence. However, all complainants and witnesses will be supported through the investigation and will be dealt with in a supportive and sensitive way.
Behaviour not meeting our definition of a hate crime or hate incident will be dealt with through our antisocial behaviour policy. We may also make referrals or signpost you to agencies who offer specialised support.
In response to complaints and allegation of hate crime and incidents, we commit to:
- Providing clear information on how to report them
- Removing offensive graffiti within 24 hours of reporting
- Investigating reports sensitively, providing victims with support and using a victim-centred approach to take all reasonable steps to prevent hate crime and incidents
- Monitoring cases and seeking your feedback to improve the experience for victims
- Using training to increase awareness and understanding amongst colleagues
- Working in partnership with key agencies to share intelligence and take joint action where required to help create safer communities
- Taking early, firm and effective action against perpetrators of hate crime – including working with other agencies updated of any action taken
- Providing support to perpetrators where we identify support needs
- Working to identify, deter and prevent incidents of hate rather than disperse or displace
You can read the rest of our Hate Crime Policy below:
PA Housing Hate Crime Policy
