Hate crime is any criminal offence that is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s characteristic or perceived characteristic, including:
- Disability;
- Race;
- Religion or belief;
- Sexual orientation; and
-
Trans and gender reassignment.
An offender convicted of a hate-motivated crime can receive a severe punishment from the courts.
A hate incident is not a crime, but is one that is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s characteristic as described above. Examples include name-calling, abusive language or behaviour etc.
Perpetrators are subject to a range of tools and powers available to the partnership, including restorative justice and civil enforcement, for example, injunctions.