Crime and victims
Help for vulnerable people
If you're a member of a vulnerable minority group, it's possible you might want extra help or protection from crime. Here's where you'll find it.
Some people are more vulnerable to crime either because of their age, or because their racial, ethnic or religious group is sometimes targeted by criminals.
If you belong to a vulnerable group and you're concerned about crime, consider contacting your local authority or Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) (new window). They work with vulnerable groups to give them a stronger voice on neighbourhood policing priorities.
Hate crimes
If you belong to a minority ethnic or religious group, or if you are gay or lesbian, you may be particularly worried about hate crime.
If you have been victimised because of your ethnicity, religion or sexuality, it is critical that you report the incident to the police. In order to tackle hate crime, the crimes first have to be reported to the police – something some find it difficult to do.
If you are uncomfortable about reporting directly to the police, you could always report the hate crime via a ‘third party reporting centre’. Through these organisations you can report hate crime at locations other than police stations, 24 hours a day, and anonymously.
Third-party reporting centres include:
- Community Safety Units
- Your local housing office
- Victim support groups
- Race equality councils
For more information
For further information and advice on dealing with hate crimes visit:
- Age Concern (new window)
- The Suzy Lamplugh Trust (new window)
- Stonewall (new window)
- Victim Support (new window)
- Equality and Human Rights Commission (new window)
- Citizens Advice Bureau (new window)
- True Vision (new window)
- Galop - London's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community safety charity (new window)
- Stop Hate UK (new window)
- VOICE UK (new window)
