Reporting hate crime or a hate incident
The importance of reporting
If you have witnessed or experienced a hate crime or incident please report it.
Through reporting you will help us to provide support to those who need it.
Your reporting will also help the University and its partners to better target our work to prevent hate crime.
The University of York is proud to create an environment that attracts the best staff and students from all over the world. We want our staff and students to feel that they are an integral part of the York community and we are committed to working together to create an inclusive culture where everyone can contribute to University life, knowledge and growth. We recognise, value and celebrate diversity and expect all members of the University to treat each other with dignity and respect.
We work hard on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. A key objective is to adopt an inclusive campus approach which will ensure that our campus is accessible, safe and welcoming.
As well as positive work to promote an inclusive campus we are also committed to ensuring that we take a firm approach to dealing with actions, such as racism or other hate crimes, that have a negative impact on the safety and wellbeing of our community.
What is a hate crime?
A hate crime is any crime that is targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards that person’s race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. A hate incident is any incident which may or may not constitute a criminal offence but is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
Hate crime isn’t just physical abuse or violence, and an incident can have a lasting effect on a person. Abuse, name calling, assault, blackmail, harassment, intimidation, bullying or exploitation are all forms of hate crime. This includes abusive comments that are made by phone, text or through social media.
How to report
You can report a hate crime or incident in a number of ways
In an emergency
- If you are on campus, call Campus Safety on +44 (0)1904 32 3333
- If you are off campus, call North Yorkshire Police on 999
Make sure you download the free SafeZone app, a service that makes it easier to alert Campus Safety if you need help while you are on campus.
Non-emergency
If it is not an emergency you can report student misconduct online:
You can also report incidents and seek support in any of the following ways:
- During office hours by visiting, telephoning or emailing the Student Hub
- By contacting your college support team
- Through contacting Campus Safety
- Through contacting North Yorkshire Police online, by phoning 101 or by visiting a police station
- The Supporting Victims in North Yorkshire service can also help - the service provides independent support for anyone affected by crime, whether reported to the police or not. They can be contacted on 01609 643100 or visit www.supportingvictims.org
Students can also receive advice and support through York SU.
How the University will deal with reports
The way in which reports received by the University will be dealt with will depend on the information given and the nature of the incident. As cases are likely to vary and the University will wish to investigate thoroughly, responding to some incidents may take a longer period of time than others.
The Assistant Registrar for Promoting Community Cohesion provides co-ordination of the University’s responses, working closely with Colleges, University student support and advice services and with our Students' Union.
When we receive reports of unacceptable behaviour, under our disciplinary regulations and procedures, the University will investigate and will take appropriate action against those who commit or commission hate crime.
Our approach to addressing hate crime is informed by UUK guidelines, which provide advice to Universities on dealing with alleged student misconduct which may also constitute a criminal offence. In cases where an allegation is being considered under the criminal process, the University may not be able to undertake disciplinary action against the accused until the criminal process is at an end. However, if necessary the University will consider precautionary action to ensure that a full and proper investigation may be carried out and/or to protect the reporting student and others while the allegation is being dealt with as part of a criminal process or disciplinary process.