Reporting Hate Crime - letter from the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime

Dear colleague,

London is rightly recognised as a city of tolerance and inclusion, something the Mayor and I are keen to work together with communities to build upon in the years ahead.

As well as using our platforms in public life to celebrate the rich diversity of our city and encourage a more inclusive society, we are also determined to pursue a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime.

We are concerned by the reported increase in racial hate crimes following the referendum result. I wanted to make contact to assure you that City Hall and the MPS are giving these reports our fullest attention. I am receiving daily briefings on hate crimes and I remain in close contact with the police and partners.

The Mayor and I are working to raise awareness of the ways of reporting hate crime to the police, so that they can take action to bring the perpetrators to justice and so that victims can get the support they need:

By phone: call 999 in an emergency, or 101 in a non-emergency.

In person: At any police station with a front counter

Through an app: the MOPAC Hate Crime reporting app can be downloaded for Android or Apple at MOPAC Hate Crime App Online: at www.report-it.org.uk/your_police_force

Community monitoring groups: you should report all hate crimes to the police, but you can also use community reporting methods such as Tell MAMA for Islamophobic incidents or the Community Security Trust for anti-Semitic offences.

By working together we can encourage and support victims of hate crime to come forward. I would therefore welcome your help in spreading this message to raise awareness of the importance of reporting hate crime and the ways to do so amongst your friends, colleagues and communities.

Thank you,

Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime