Hate crimes hurt individuals and communities, and reporting them allows the University and the police to better understand and deal with what is happening.  

Hate incidents and hate crime are acts of violence or hostility against a person or property that is motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a person due to a particular characteristic. This could be a disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, transgender identity or an alternative sub-culture hate crime. A victim does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted. In fact, anyone could be a victim of a hate crime.

For more information, please download the OPCC (Office for Police and Crime Commissioner)'s guide for victims and witnesses of Hate Crime. 

Are they in immediate danger? If they are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you/they can contact the emergency services on 999 (or 112 from a mobile phone) and the University’s Security Team (if you are on campus).  

Find a safe space. If an incident has just happened, try and find somewhere they feel safe. If this isn't possible and they are scared you can call security on 02380 593311. 

What is a hate crime? It might be useful to think about what a hate crime is and how some of the behaviours are described.

Listen. Just taking the time to listen to someone and talk about what has happened can help. These six active listening tips might help you support them. (Published on 4 October 2015 and based on the Samaritans guidelines for active listening.)

Give options. When they have finished talking ask them if they are okay to talk through some possible options and next steps. 

Harassment Contacts are volunteers from a variety of roles on campus who can provide confidential advice on what you can do in response to bullying and harassment. Contacting them does not begin any formal procedure and does not commit you to any action. They provide informal, personal support and advice based on experience and knowledge of the options available. 

Report and Support. Students and staff can report an incident using the University’s Report and Support system. You can choose to do this anonymously or you can request support from an advisor. If you choose to talk to an advisor they will be able to talk through the options and support available to you, in confidence. 

University policy. If you choose to make a formal complaint to the University against a student or a member of staff there are procedures which set out the steps you will need to follow. 

Reporting to the police. You can report to the police on the phone, in person or using an online form. If you are thinking of reporting sexual misconduct or domestic violence to the police, here is a useful Rights of Women guide to understand the process of criminal investigation. 

Report the incident anonymously. You can call Crime Stoppers at any point on 0800 555 111 or use their online form. 

Southampton Hate Crime app. This is a quick way that either a potential victim or bystander to an incident can inform a Third Party Hate Crime Reporting Centre in Southampton about it. 

 Support for students can be accessed 24/7 via The Student Hub. You can call The Student Hub team on +44(0)23 80599 599 and select option two for wellbeing or if you would prefer, email studenthub@soton.ac.uk

The SUSU Advice Centre is a free, confidential, impartial service where an advisor can talk through the procedure, how to complain, what options are available and support you through the process. This support includes checking draft complaints and attending any meetings with the University. 

Employee Assistance Programme. EAP is a confidential and independent support service for university staff.