With one in five LGBT people experiencing a hate crime or incident because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity in the last 12 months, it’s important to know how to report these incidents.
Scroll down to see how you can report a homophobic incident and get support:
How to report an homophobic incident:
- Report the hate crime via Lambeth.gov.uk
- Report it to the police
- Find help and support via Galop.org.uk and their Galop LGBTQ+ hate crime helpline at 020 7704 2040
- Metro Charity’s LGBTQ+ help, support and reporting service at safer@metrocharity.org.uk or on 020 8305 5003
- Victim Support website at victimsupport.org.uk.
More info
- Reporting a hate crime or hate incident to the police (Citizens Advice)
- LGBT in Britain – Hate Crime and Discrimination (Stonewall)
- Recorded homophobic hate crimes soared in pandemic, figures show (Guardian, Dec 2021)
- Hate Crime – A guide for those affected (PDF download)
Citizens Advice guide:
What to say when you report a hate crime or incident
The police will tell you what information you need to give when you report the incident.
It’s important to give as many details as possible – this will help the police investigate your case.
You’ll need to describe the person responsible for the hate incident – they’re known as the ‘offender’.
When you describe the offender, it’s useful to give general information like age, height, build, gender, ethnicity and clothing.
Also try to remember any particular features such as:
- hair colour and facial hair
- glasses or jewellery
- accent
- tattoos or piercings
- scars or birthmarks
If a car or van was involved, say what the number plate was and what it looked like. For example, try to include things like the make, the model, the colour, how old it was and any signs of damage.
If the offender damaged your property, you should describe the damage or loss. If possible, include how much it cost to repair the damage.
You can also take photos of the damage to show the police.
Giving your contact details to the police
When you report the hate incident, you’ll need to include your contact details if you want the police to investigate the incident.
If you’re worried about the police contacting you at home, you can ask them to contact you through someone you trust, like a friend or family member.
Ask this person if it’s ok to give their contact details to the police.
Report online
You can report it on the True Vision website. The True Vision website is run by the police. Your report will be sent straight to your local police force.
You can also download an easy read version of the reporting form on the True Vision website. You can give the form to your local police station after you’ve filled it in.Report a hate crime or incident in person or by phone
You can report it by phone or at your local police station.
When you report it, ask for the incident reference number. You’ll need this if you want to contact the police about the crime again.
To find your nearest police station, use the local police force finder on the police’s website.
To report it to the police by phone, call 101.
If you can’t hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say using Relay UK. To use Relay UK, dial 18001 then 101.
You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone. There’s no extra charge to use it. Find out how to use Relay UK on their website.
If you don’t want to go to the police
If you don’t want to contact the police, you can ask someone else to report it for you, like a friend or family member.
You can also ask an independent organisation to report it to the police for you. These are known as ‘third party reporting centres’.
Your report will be anonymous and confidential. Find out more about third party reporting.
