National Hate Crime Awareness Week, which was originally instituted to mark the 10th anniversary of the London Nail Bomb attacks in 1999 by a neo-Nazi militant, runs this year from the 12th to 19th October, and is aimed at inspiring a national campaign to bring people together across the UK who are prepared to advocate against all forms of hate crime and make our communities safer places in which to live.

Hate crime comes in many different forms and strikes at the heart of communities, but, with your assistance, the local Police can tackle those responsible and keep our communities safe. They are here and ready to help anyone who has been affected by someone else's prejudice, ignorance or violence. 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.' There are four main types of hate crime which include physical assault, verbal abuse, incitement to hatred and criminal damage. 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. Evidence of the hate element is not a requirement, because you do not personally need to perceive the incident to be hate related. It would be enough if another person, a witness or even a Police Officer thought that the incident was hate related.

You can report a hate crime directly to Sussex Police on 101; on their website at www.sussexpolice.uk; anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111; or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Victim Support have a dedicated team to support you if you or someone you know has been a victim of hate crime, and you can contact them on 0808 168 9111 or visit online at www.victimsupport.org.uk.

Police summon allies in fight against hate crime