Sefton Council is supporting a new campaign urging people to take a stand against hate crime by setting up nine third party reporting centres across the borough.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of hate crime and to encourage people to speak out when they have been a victim. Statistics show that victims of hate crime will usually experience up to 35 incidents of hate and abuse before they report it and it is estimated that only 18 per cent of hate crimes are ever reported to the police.
There are now nine third party reporting centres across Sefton where victims can receive help and support to report an incident of hate in a safe and secure environment. The centres can be identified by the “red hand” logo and can be found at:
- Southport One Stop Shop, Cambridge Arcade, Southport
- Bootle One Stop Shop, Stanley Road, Bootle
- Sefton Advocacy, Leicester Street, Southport
- Living Well Centre, Scarisbrick Street, Southport
- One Vision Housing, Bootle
- People First, Stanley Road, Bootle
- Sefton Adult Social Care, Merton House, Bootle
- Hugh Baird College, Bootle
- Sefton CVS, Waterloo
The campaign urges people not to suffer in silence and encourages victims to contact Merseyside Police, get in touch with Stop Hate UK directly or visit one of the third party reporting centres.
Graham Bayliss, Director of Corporate Services at Sefton Council, said: “We want to do everything we can to send the message out that Hate Crime will not be tolerated in Sefton and to give people the confidence to report abuse and not suffer in silence.
“It’s really important that people know about the Centres as they provide a safe environment for victims and witnesses to report hate crime and to receive advice and support.”
Victims, who don’t want to speak to the police can contact Stop Hate UK anonymously on their 24 hour hotline 0800 138 1625.
Submit News Contact us with your community, business or sport news. Phone 07581350321 or 07930717137
Email ots@otsnews.co.uk
Twitter www.twitter.com/onthespot_new
Facebook www.facebook.com/otsnews.co.uk
Instagram www.instagram.com/otsnews
OTS News on Social Media