Discriminatory Abuse/Hate Crime

Discriminatory Abuse exists when values, beliefs or culture result in a misuse of power that denies opportunity to groups or individuals.  It can be a feature of any form of abuse of an adult with needs for care and support and it can be motivated because of age, gender, sexuality, disability, religion, class, culture, language, race or ethnic origin.

It can result from situations that exploit a person’s vulnerability by treating the person in a way that excludes them from opportunities they should have as equal citizens, for example, education, health, justice and access to services and protection.

The impact of hate crime on an individual and their family can be devastating, affecting social, psychological and physical well-being.  Where individuals are targeted because of a personal characteristic they often feel fearful of further incidents and become withdrawn and isolated. It can also affect others who may share that characteristic, leading to impacts across the wider community.

The most commonly used definition of Hate Crime is that agreed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) (now National Police Chief’s Council NPCC) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS):
“Hate crimes and incidents are taken to mean any crime or incident where the perpetrators hostility or prejudice against an identifiable group of people is a factor in determining who is victimised.”

Individuals may be targeted because of their actual or perceived:
•    disability
•    gender identity (transphobic)
•    race or ethnicity (racist)
•    religion or belief
•    sexual orientation (homophobic)

Individuals may also be targeted due to other issues which identify them as ‘different’.

Hate Crime forms part of the Durham Police and Crime Commissioners plan 2021 – 2024 [external link]

See SCIE: Types and Indicators of Discriminatory Abuse [external link].