Hate Crime
We are committed to promoting equality
and diversity, and to providing an inclusive and supportive environment in
which all individuals have the opportunity to contribute to their full
potential. This is central to our commitment to excellence in all that we do:
teaching, research and enterprise.
As well as the work that we are doing
to promote an inclusive campus we are also committed to ensuring that we take a
firm approach to dealing with actions that have a negative impact on the safety
and wellbeing of our community.
What is hate crime?
'A hate crime is when someone commits
a crime against you because of your disability, gender identity, race, sexual
orientation, religion, or any other perceived difference.
It doesn't always include physical
violence. Someone using offensive language towards you or harassing you because
of who you are, or who they think you are, is also a crime. The same goes for
someone posting abusive or offensive messages about you online.
A hate crime is defined as 'Any
criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be
motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person's race or perceived race;
religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual
orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by
hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be
transgender.'
A hate incident is any incident which
the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone's prejudice towards them
because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they
are transgender.
Not all hate incidents will amount to
criminal offences, but it is equally important that these are reported.'*
* From Metropolitan police https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/hco/hate-crime/what-is-hate-crime/
Reporting Hate Crime
You can report a hate crime or
incident in several ways:
Need Help now?
If you are in immediate danger, or it's
an emergency you can call 999 for the emergency services.
We also have Campus Security, if you
are on site:
Avery Hill: internal phone 9101 or 0208 331 9101
Greenwich: internal phone 7616 or 0208 331 7616
Medway: internal phone 3138 or 0208 331 3138
Non-emergency help
If it's not an emergency, you can
report incidents and seek support in the following ways:
From outside of the University
101 -the police non-emergency number
When should I use 101?
You can call 101 to report crime and
other concerns that do not require an emergency response. You should always
call 999 when it is an emergency, such as when a crime is in progress, someone
suspected of a crime is nearby, when there is danger to life or when violence
is being used or threatened.
From Police UK https://www.police.uk/contact/101/
Victim
Support
If you have been affected by crime victim support
provides services that are free, confidential and available to anyone in
England and Wales, regardless of whether the crime has been reported or how
long ago it happened. They can be contacted in several ways including on their
free support line: 08 08 16 89 111
Details on service hours, ways to contact them and
what they do are available on their website.
Stop
Hate UK
Stop Hate UK is a national organisation working to
challenge all forms of Hate Crime and discrimination, based on any aspect of an
individual's identity. Stop Hate UK provides independent, confidential and
accessible reporting and support for victims, witnesses and third parties.
www.stophateuk.org
Within
the University
Listening Ears
These are members of staff who also volunteer to be
'listening ears' to provide support to students.
They offer an informal service and work within a
code of confidentiality for issues relating to welfare; equality and diversity;
and bullying and harassment (including on the grounds of age, disability,
gender, gender reassignment, race, sex and sexual orientation).
They are not trained counsellors, but they are
provided with training to help them undertake the role.
More information on this service and how to contact
them is available here: Listening Ears
Counselling Service
We have professional counsellors who are
experienced in working with psychological and emotional issues. They abide by
the Ethical Framework set out by the British Association for Counselling &
Psychotherapy and provide confidential support within a brief therapy model.
More information on the counselling service
Student
Unions
The Greenwich Student Union (GSU) is independent
from the above support services within the university. If you would prefer to
speak to one of their advisors about an issue related to hate crime, please
contact the GSU advice
team. The service is free and confidential.
Students studying at the Medway Campus can contact
the GK Unions advice
service.
How will the
University deal with reports?
The way in which reports received by the University will be dealt
with will depend on the information given and the nature of the incident.
When we receive reports of unacceptable behaviour, under our
Student Disciplinary Procedures, the University will investigate and will take
appropriate action against those who commit, or commission hate crime.
In cases where an allegation is being considered under the
criminal process, the University may not be able to undertake disciplinary
action against the responding person until the criminal process is at an end.
However, if necessary, the University will consider precautionary action to
ensure that a full and proper investigation may be carried out and/or to
protect the reporting student and others while the allegation is being dealt
with as part of a criminal process or disciplinary process.
Further
information
Bullying
and Harassment at University Policy and Procedures (Students)
The
University has a Bullying and Harassment policy for students available here
which explains more about harassment and bullying and sets out our approach to
responding to harassment and bullying in our in our community.
Student
Disciplinary procedure
The
University has a Student Disciplinary Procedure for which explains more about how the University deals with issues
of misconduct amongst the University community.