Hate crimes hurt individuals and communities. Reporting them allows the University and/or the police to better understand and deal with what is happening.  

Hate incidents and hate crime are acts of verbal abuse, intimidation or violence against a person or property motivated by hostility or prejudice due to a particular characteristic. This could be a disability, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, transgender identity or an alternative sub-culture hate crime. A victim does not have to be a member of the group at which the hostility is targeted - anyone could be a victim of a hate crime.

Hate incidents and crimes can be experienced in a variety of ways, including via social media.

Hate incidents and crimes include bullying, harassment and sexual harassment which are contrary to the Equality Act 2010 and the University's Harassment and Bullying Procedure. 

Find out more about bullying and harassment and sexual harassment. 

 

Are you in immediate danger? If you are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you can call 999 (or 112 from a mobile).  If you are on campus, you should tell Security (01483 68 3333) that the emergency services are on their way and give details of your location. 

Find a safe space: if an incident has just happened, try and find somewhere you feel safe. If you are on campus and this isn't possible, you can call Security on 01483 68 3333.

What is a hate crime? It might be useful to think about what hate crime is and how some of the behaviours are described.  

To a friend or family member: talking things through with someone you trust can sometimes help. 

Security: our Security team can talk through how to make a report and what support is available. 

The University of Surrey Students Union (USSU) can talk students through what options are available and support them through the process. This support includes checking draft complaints and attending any meetings with the University.

Trade unions are organised groups of workers who come together to support each other in the workplace. The University of Surrey recognises three campus trade unions (Unison, UCU and Unite) and encourages all employees to become members.

Any incident of hate crime, including those experienced online, can be reported:

Police: if you want to report directly to the police you can call 101 which is the non-emergency telephone number (staffed 24/7). You can also call 101 to get support or advice. Surrey Police have an online form for reporting hate crime. 

Report and Support: students and staff can report an incident using the University’s Report and Support system. You can choose to do this anonymously or you can request support from a member of staff. If you choose to report with your contact details, a member of staff will be able to talk through the options and support available to you.

Find out what support is available if they have experienced a hate crime. 

1 in 4 people are affected by a mental health problem in any year and it is estimated that around 1 in 5 people have contemplated suicide or self-harm.

Find out more on the support available for mental health and wellbeing. 

Take care of yourself: it’s important that you take care of yourself. If you’ve heard something distressing or if something is troubling you, the University's Centre for Wellbeing offers confidential help and is open to students.