Hate and harassment

We believe that our communities are stronger together. If you experience or witness hate crime you can report it to us or South Yorkshire Police.

Reporting hate crime

In person:

Online or phone:

  • Send an email to the Safer Barnsley Team at safer@barnsley.gov.uk with the word HATE in the subject line
  • Call (01226) 773555

To South Yorkshire Police:

What is hate crime?

Hate crime is an incident that targets someone based on their social identity because of:

  • disability
  • gender identity
  • race, ethnicity or nationality
  • religion, faith or belief
  • sexual orientation

Hate crimes can take place anywhere, in person or online, and includes:

  • verbal abuse
  • threatening behaviour
  • damage to property
  • physical assault
  • offensive graffiti
  • offensive comments or images on social media or text messages

What happens when I report hate crime?

We'll contact you to talk about what we can do to make you feel safer. We usually do this within one working day. We may ask our liaison officers or victim support to talk to you.

We'll investigate the incident so we can take appropriate action. This could include prosecution, restorative justice, enforcement action by Berneslai Homes, or a warning.

Can I report for someone else?

Yes. If you witness a hate incident you can report this. You can report it even if you don’t know the name of the person it happened to.

Can I report anonymously?

Yes you can, although it may make it difficult to investigate.

Other ways to report hate crime

As well as the ways listed above, you can also report hate crime to: