HATE crime victims are being urged not to suffer in silence.
The message comes form Warwickshire Police as residents across the county are urged to unite during Hate Crime Awareness Week running until Saturday.
People are being urged to take a pledge saying they will not tolerate hate crime; will report any hate crime they witness; and will urge any victim they may know to also report it.
People can take the pledge by sharing or liking the pledge on the Warwickshire Police Facebook page or tweeting their commitment to tackling hate crime using the #EndHateCrime hashtag.
Ch Supt Lee Davenport, hate crime spokesman for Warwickshire Police, said: “We know that hate crimes are under-reported and we all have a role to play in tackling the problem and encouraging victims to come forward to report their ordeal.
“Whilst the low number of incidents reported to us would suggest that we do not have a significant hate crime problem in the area, it is sad that people still feel that it is acceptable to victimise people because of who they are.
By taking this pledge, people are making the commitment to stand up to these people and making it clear that their behaviour will not be accepted.”
Warwickshire County Council’s community safety spokesman Coun John Horner said hate crime was everyone’s problem, and the whole community had a part to play in tackling it.
He added: “The more people who pledge to tackle it, the more the people who commit these offences will understand that it will not be tolerated in Warwickshire and more victims will have the confidence to come forward.”
