What to do if you need to leave your home as a result of hate crime or harassment
What is Hate Crime
A hate crime if any form of harassment that's also a criminal offence. It's carried out against someone because of who they are or who someone thinks they are, based on their:
- race
- religion
- sexuality
- disability
- gender
Hate crimes can include:
- verbal abuse
- harassment
- bullying or intimidation by children, adults, neighbours or strangers
- physical attacks
- threats of violence
- hoax calls, abusive phone or text messages, hate mail
- online abuse
- offensive leaflets or posters
- harm or damage to things such as your home, pet, vehicle
If you need to leave your home
If you're a victim of hate crime you need to report it to the Police. They can give you advice on whether you need to leave your home straight away. Do not give up your tenancy without contacting us first for advice. You can:
- phone us on 01553 616200
- email us at housingoptions@west-norfolk.gov.uk
- visit us in person
We will look at your housing options if we think it's not safe for you to stay where you are.
If you’re a housing association tenant
You'll need to report the hate crime direct to your housing association or the Police:
Tackling hate crime
If you’ve experienced hate crime, there are things you can do that may help to reduce the risk of it happening again. You could:
- improve your basic home security (for example, add locks and bolts to doors and windows)
- install security equipment such as CCTV, video intercoms or panic buttons
- keep a note of all incidents related to the hate crime, including times, dates and details of what happened (these will be useful when you report the crime to the Police)