Hate Crime
The five monitored strands, perception-based recording, the statutory sentence uplift, evidence gathering, community impact and third-party reporting channels for hate crime — an officer quick-reference cited to legislation.
Unofficial independent resource — always verify with official sources (College of Policing, your force, PFEW).
Reviewed by BlueLineHub Editorial
What is a hate crime and how must it be recorded?
A hate crime is any criminal offence motivated by hostility towards one of five monitored strands: race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or transgender identity. Recording is perception-based — if any person perceives that an offence was motivated by hostility towards one of these characteristics, it must be recorded as a hate crime. The victim does not need to be the person making the complaint, and no evidence of hostility is required at the recording stage.
Under section 66 of the Sentencing Act 2020, the court must treat hostility based on a protected characteristic as an aggravating factor when sentencing, and must state in open court that the sentence has been uplifted and by how much.
A reference to the five monitored hate crime strands, the perception-based recording rule, the statutory sentence uplift, evidence-gathering practice, community impact considerations and third-party reporting channels. It is educational reference, not tactical guidance — follow your force policy, training and current law.
Five Monitored Strands
Any criminal offence motivated by hostility towards one of these characteristics.
| Strand | Example |
|---|---|
| Race | Racial slurs, targeting someone because of their ethnicity or nationality |
| Religion | Targeting someone because of their faith or perceived religious identity |
| Sexual Orientation | Homophobic abuse, targeting someone because of their sexuality |
| Disability | Targeting someone because of a physical or mental disability |
| Transgender Identity | Transphobic abuse, targeting someone because of their gender identity |
Sentence Uplift
s.66 Sentencing Act 2020 — statutory aggravating factor.
The court must treat hostility based on a protected characteristic as an aggravating factor when sentencing. The court must state in open court that the sentence has been uplifted and by how much.
Evidence Gathering
- Record exact words used — verbatim, in quotation marks
- Note the context, tone, and apparent intent
- Identify and speak to all witnesses
- Check for online activity — social media posts, messages
- Photograph graffiti, criminal damage, or offensive material
- Preserve all digital evidence — screenshots with timestamps
Community Impact
Hate crimes affect whole communities, not just individual victims. A single hate crime can cause fear and anxiety across an entire group.
Consider: Community impact assessment, reassurance patrols, engagement with community leaders, and liaison with neighbourhood policing teams.
Third-Party Reporting
| Channel | Description | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| True Vision | Online third-party reporting for hate crime | report-it.org.uk |
| Stop Hate UK | 24-hour helpline for hate crime victims | 0800 138 1625 |
| Tell MAMA | Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks — specialist support | tellmamauk.org |
Related reading
Primary sources
BlueLineHub is independent and unofficial. Always verify with the authoritative source below.
- Verify on official source
Crime and Disorder Act 1998, sections 28–32
Statutory basis for racially or religiously aggravated offences — the offence category underlying the racial and religious hate crime strands.
Last checked: August 2026 - Verify on official source
Public Order Act 1986, Part 3 (sections 18–29 and 29A–29N)
Offences of stirring up racial hatred (ss.18–29) and stirring up religious hatred or hatred on grounds of sexual orientation (ss.29A–29N).
Last checked: August 2026 - Verify on official source
Sentencing Act 2020, section 66
The statutory aggravating factor requiring the court to treat hostility based on race, religion, disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity as increasing the seriousness of the sentence, reflected in the Sentence Uplift block.
Last checked: August 2026
Frequently asked
- What triggers hate crime recording?
- Perception alone. If any person perceives that an offence was motivated by hostility towards a protected characteristic, it must be recorded as a hate crime — the victim does not need to be the complainant and no evidence of hostility is required at the recording stage.
- What are the five monitored strands?
- Race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity.
- What effect does a hate crime finding have on sentencing?
- Under s.66 Sentencing Act 2020, the court must treat hostility based on a protected characteristic as an aggravating factor and must state in open court that the sentence has been uplifted and by how much.