Message from Assistant Chief Constable Gary Ritchie

 

Police Scotland continue to urge victims and witnesses of hate crime to report it during the COVID-19 pandemic. We understand the impact this type of incident can have on individuals, their families, friends and the wider community.

Police Scotland is fully committed to keeping people safe and protecting all our communities and I acknowledge communities and individuals may feel vulnerable as a result of COVID-19.

A hate crime can include name calling, harassment, graffiti or a physical attack motivated by prejudice or ill-will towards a social group. Social groups covered by hate crime legislation are disability, race, religion, sexual orientation and transgender identity. What you may view as a minor incident can have a major impact and we want to assure you that any form of hate crime will not be tolerated and will be fully investigated.

Should you experience or witness such an incident, please report it to us by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency, or by using our online hate crime reporting form on the Police Scotland website.

If you do not feel comfortable reporting the matter directly to Police, there is a network of Third Party Reporting (TPR) Centres available to provide support remotely during the current situation. Although, at the moment, you cannot attend a TPR centre in person, many organisations are now offering an option to report an incident over the telephone or via e-mail. Please visit the TPR page of the Police Scotland website for more information on Third Party Reporting and for a list of active centres.