Racial harassment and third party reporting
Racial harassment and third party reporting
What is racial harassment?
Racial harassment is when a person causes alarm or distress to you because of your race, religion, ethnicity or the colour of your skin.
What if a person does not say anything racist, but their actions cause alarm or distress, will that be classed as racial harassment?
YES. Racial harassment is not just limited to verbal abuse. Racial harassment can be any of the following:
- Verbal Abuse
- Physical Abuse
- Graffiti
- Targeted Noise Nuisance
- Receiving racist mail
- Receiving racist telephone calls or text messages
- Damage to your property
What should a person do when they experience any of the above?
They should report the incident.
What happens if the incident does not seem to be a racist incident, but I feel it was a racist incident?
The incident will be recorded as a racist incident, as long as you inform the person you are reporting to that this is your belief. The Police and London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham will record an incident as a racist one if the incident is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person.
Who and where can I report such incidents to?
You can report incidents to the Police, your Housing Provider or one of our Third Party Reporting Centres.
What happens after a report has been made?
You will be informed of the options available that will enable the report to be progressed and then the decision will be yours as to what action you wish to proceed with. No action will be taken without your consent.
DON’T SUFFER IN SILENCE! How to report - please look at these leaflets:
Racial harassment leaflet White City
Racial Harassment leaflet Palingswick House
Third Party Reporting for Racial Harassment
What are they?
We recognise that many people within minority communities are fearful or mistrustful of approaching the police directly. Third party reporting is an important way to overcome this. Until recently a victim of a racial crime had to report directly to the police for the crime to be recognised and action taken. Third party reporting changes this.
Reports of racial crime can now be made, by victims and/or witnesses, to an independent third party reporting centre. These centres are non-policing agencies and they can pass information on to the police on the victim’s behalf. The police are then required to act on this as if they had received the report directly.
Members of Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities living or working in Hammersmith & Fulham can come into a centre and report any racial crime they have experienced or have witnessed. A trained member of staff/volunteer is available to interview the victim and/or witness in a private and secure setting and will listen to the victim in a sensitive and understanding manner.
Third party reporting centre principles
Anonymous reporting: A victim or witness does not have to give their personal details (name, address etc.) to the reporting centre and so can remain anonymous if they wish. This still allows the police and other agencies to gather information on the levels of racial crime, identify hotspots of racist activity and share intelligence on incidents.
Identified reporting: If a victim or witness chooses to disclose their personal details and allow the information to be passed onto the police, or other agencies the third party reporting agency can act as a point of contact between the police and the person making the report. It is important to stress that the police will only approach a victim or witness if they have given their personal details and permission to the third party reporting agency to do so.
Victim centred response: Third party reporting centres operate a victim centred response. This means that victims and witnesses of racial crime will be believed. It also means that the level of action taken will centre on what the victim is comfortable with and that due regard is given to their wishes and safety.
Referral options: A third party reporting centre will also be able to refer victims and witnesses to other relevant agencies that offer support, advice and information
