What is Crime and Harassment?

Hate crime and harassment is defined as any behaviour, physical or verbal, that is perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated, in whole or in part, by hatred, bias, or prejudice, based upon the actual or perceived race, colour, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, age, disability, or sexual orientation of another individual or group.

Hate Crime can take many forms, including physical attacks, threatening behaviour, arson, neighbourhood disputes, abusive or obscene phone calls, texts or emails, graffiti scrawled on property, including disturbing leaflets or posters, verbal abuse, bullying at school or in the workplace, or emotional or psychological abuse.

The number of people in Telford & Wrekin who are worried about becoming a victim of hate crime or harassment is decreasing.

Only 7% of those questioned in the 2007 West Mercia Crime & Safety Survey said that they were worried about becoming a victim; an improvement of 3% on the previous year.

Who should I contact?
If you've been a victim of racial abuse or any form of Hate Crime:

In an emergency, always dial 999

this number is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week

To report a non-urgent incident or to find information on your local Neighbourhood Policing Team, call West Mercia Constabulary on

08457 444 888

To report a crime in complete anonymity, you can call Crimestoppers; an independent UK-wide charity working to stop crime. Call Crimestoppers anonymously on

0800 555 111

and just tell them what you know, not who you are. This number is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Telford Race, Equality and Diversity Partnership (TREDP) offers advocacy, support and advice to people who have experienced discrimination and harassment on the grounds of race or ethnic origin. TREDP can offer advice on how to make a complaint, support in preparing your case when initiating grievance procedures and information about employment tribunal and court cases. They can also signpost you to other services for general advice and support through our partner agencies such as Victim Support and Citizens Advice Bureau. Contact TREDP on

01952 210559

What’s being done in my area?

  • The Partners Against Hate Crime and Harassment group (PAHCH), has developed the Strategy Against Hate Crime and Harassment, the aim of which is to prevent and reduce hate crime and harassment across Telford and Wrekin
  • A myth busting campaign was launched in February 2008 to address the negative perception of migrant workers and the impact of racist behaviour. The campaign is supported by a dedicated website – click here for more information
  • A hate crime reporting leaflet has been launched to increase the number of incidents reported to Telford & Wrekin Council
  • Local communities have been involved in a number of consultation events, which have determined local priorities
  • PACT (Partners & Communities Together) Meetings have been introduced specifically to meet the needs of minority groups and to enhance social inclusion

More information

  • For more information about tacklethemyth – the campaign to reveal the truth about the positive role that migrant workers play in bringing new skills to Telford, click here - www.tacklethemyth.com
  • To find out more about the local and national work of TREDP, click here - www.tredp.org.uk

If you're new to Telford & Wrekin and would like to find out more about the area or any of the services available to you, click here to visit Telford & Wrekin Council's website