To mark Hate Crime Awareness Week (12th – 19th October) Lancashire Constabulary has partnered with Lancashire County Council, colleges and universities across Lancashire to highlight the importance of understanding what hate crime is - and the impact it can have.

Blackburn College, Blackpool and the Fylde College, Blackpool Sixth Form College, Burnley College, Edge Hill University, Lancaster and Morecambe College, Lancaster University, Myerscough College, Nelson & Colne College, Newman College, Preston’s College, Runshaw College, the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and West Lancashire College have come together to raise awareness of hate crime and hate incidents amongst their student populations.

In coming together, the organisations have pledged that they will provide a safe place to report hate crime or hate incidents on their campuses with specially trained staff available to students to ensure that incidents are being reported quickly and dealt with by the appropriate services.

The aim is to promote the transition from being a bystander of hate crime to an upstander of people, regardless of their race, religion, disability, sexuality, gender identity or lifestyle choices.

As part of this work, which is supported by the Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner, a video has been developed by UCLan to educate young people about what hate crime is, how the impact of hate crime can affect victims throughout our county as well as highlighting the importance of reporting hate crime and hate incidents.The awareness video will be shown to over 15,000 students across Lancashire.

Chief Inspector Ian Mills from Lancashire Constabulary who is Force Lead for Hate Crime said: “This partnership aims to raise young people’s awareness of the types of hate crimes to empower them to feel confident enough to go from being a bystander of hate crime to an upstander of a person’s right to be safe and feel safe and to provide them with a safe place to report incidents. By working with Lancashire County Council and our further/higher education organisations, we want to spread the message that hate crime in any form isn’t acceptable in Lancashire and that our county is a place that won’t stand for hate.”

Saaika Mubeen from Blackburn College who is the Organisational Development and Equalities Manager commented: “The Education Sub Group of the Lancashire Wide Strategic Hate Crime Group welcome the opportunity to collectively raise awareness of hate crime during Hate Crime Awareness Week 2019. All of the 14 organisations involved in this work have a zero tolerance approach to discrimination of any kind and take all forms of hate crime seriously. By coming together collectively as a group from all parts of Lancashire in a multi-agency approach, we have a stronger voice and aim to share the message across the whole of Lancashire that hate crime goes against our county’s ethos of having a tolerant, progressive community that allows everyone to fulfill their potential regardless of difference."

Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw added:"I am really pleased to support the work that has been going on with colleges and universities across Lancashire to address hate crime. Attacking someone purely because of who they are is unacceptable and we need to come together to ensure that Lancashire is a safe place for everyone. The damage hate crime can do to a person is immense but it is important to let people know that specialist support is out there if they have been affected and I would urge anyone who has been targeted to contact Lancashire Victim Services."

To view the video, visit:https://youtu.be/0-fb7LTQCHI

To help tackle hate crime you can:·Take a stand and stand up to hate·Support a friend/colleague who has been a victim of hate·Challenge hate (if it's safe to do so) - be an up-stander, not a by-stander·Always report hate crime via 101 orTrue Vision. If a person is in immediate danger, always dial 999Find out more information about Hate Crime and its impact by visiting: https://lancashire.police.uk/help-advice/personal-safety/hate-crime/

If you’ve been affected by crime, you can get support from Lancashire Victim Service. You can contact then using the following contact details: Call:0300 323 0085 – lines are open 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 5pm Saturdays, email: info@lancashirevictimservices.org
or write to Lancashire Victim Services, Ringway House, Percy Street, Preston, PR1 1HQ