Police donate £10,000 to help support victims of hate crime in Brighton

Coordinated alongside Brighton and Hove City Council, the funding has been granted towards supporting safe spaces in the city where victims of hate crime can access help and report incidents.

The scheme will focus on a number of third party reporting centres, aimed at people who feel more comfortable reporting hate incidents to a third party rather than directly to police.

Three services already operate in the city, run by Possability People, The Racial Harassment Forum and The Rainbow Hub.

The reporting centres predominantly support victims of hate incidents around race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity. The funding will go towards supporting these services.

Superintendent Nick Dias, Sussex Police’s force lead for hate crime, said: “Sussex Police is committed to tackling hate crime and a cornerstone of that commitment is making it as easy as possible for victims to report incidents.

“Everyone should feel comfortable reporting their concerns to police, safe in the knowledge that we will handle the report with sensitivity and understanding, and [will] launch a full investigation where possible. But we understand there are still people who feel more comfortable making reports to a third party, which is why these reporting centres are so important.

“As a force we will continue to engage with the myriad communities in Brighton and Hove and across the county, in order to better understand their specific needs and make sure we are responding as effectively as possible.”

CEO of Possability People Geraldine Des Moulins added: “It is important that people who have experienced the trauma of a hate crime feel confident to make a report. We know disabled people do feel more confident talking with people with similar lived experience.

“We are extremely grateful to Sussex Police for providing the partnership with this much needed funding and recognising that third party reporting centres are crucial if we are to tackle hate crime.”

Operations manager for the Racial Harassment Forum (RHF) Reena Johl said: "We know that recorded hate crime is on the rise - it's up 24 per cent in 2022 from the year before. Those racially and religiously motivated incidents make up the majority of these in England and Wales and, equally worryingly, a significant number of incidents are never reported.

“We appreciate the supplementary funding granted by Sussex Police to RHF which will enable us to continue to provide alternative pathways and a confidential safe space to support more Brighton and Hove residents to come forward and share their experiences of racial hate incidents.

“In doing so we hope to address the under-reporting and use the understanding gained to contribute towards the aim of becoming an anti-racist city where all feel safe and know they belong."

A spokesperson for The Rainbow Hub added: “There are significant barriers in place that prevent LGBTQ+ people from reporting to authorities. We know that, consequently, hate crimes affecting LGBTQ+ people are under-reported.

“We at The Rainbow Hub are grateful to Sussex Police for recognising this and providing the partnership with this funding that we may continue to offer a path to reporting that feels safe for those affected by hate crime.”

You can report hate crimes or incidents to Sussex Police online, or via 101. In an emergency, always call 999.

Alternatively, reports can be made via Possability People, The Racial Harassment Forum and The Rainbow Hub.