Hate Crime Policy

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Derby Homes is committed to delivering the best possible services for people experiencing any hate incident. Derby Homes believes that no one should live in fear of hate incidents and will take reports seriously by treating reports of hate incidents as a priority. 

1.2 Derby Homes wants customers and staff experiencing hate incidents to feel confident that effective action will be taken and encourages residents to report such incidents. This policy applies to any customer living in a Derby Homes or is a visitor to a Derby Homes Property or where a non-Derby Homes resident is the victim of a Hate Crime perpetrated by a Derby Homes resident.

1.3 Derby Homes will record and investigate hate incidents (incidents that are not criminal) by recognising that situations escalate and ‘incidents can become crimes and because this is an effective method of collecting intelligence and tension monitoring.

2.0 What is hate?

2.1 Hate Crime

A hate crime is any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim, or anybody else, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone’s ‘protected characteristics’:

• race or ethnic origin
• religion, or belief
• sexual orientation
• transgender identity
• disability

Derbyshire Police also recognises, records and responds to acts motivated against ‘Alternative Subculture’, such as punk, goth, skaters, emo etc, as an additional strand of ‘hate’ in addition to the legally defined ‘protected characteristics’.

A hate crime can include verbal abuse, intimidation, threats, harassment, assault, damage to property or incidents that occur online including social media.

2.2 Hate Incident

A hate incident is behaviour which is not a crime, but which is perceived by the victim, or anybody else, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on their ‘protected characteristics’ or perceived association to an ‘alternative subculture’.

Both hate crime and hate incidents not only causes harm to the victims, but also harms families, friends, and communities.

2.3 Hate Crime can affect anyone; you do not have to be a member of the group to which the hostility is targeted, you can also be a victim by your perceived association with that group. 

3.0 Strategic links

3.1 Derby Homes is a member of the Safer Derbyshire Partnership (SDP) and plays a key role in the delivery of the Partnerships overarching priorities. 

3.2 Derby Homes recognises that confidentiality is fundamental to developing a relationship of trust with persons who experience hate incidents and guarantee that any information provided will be in the strictest of confidence. 

3.3 Derby Homes will only share information where it is absolutely necessary and will only be exchanged in line with the Safer Derbyshire Partnership (SDP) protocols for exchange of information and relevant protocols for both child protection and vulnerable adults

3.4 Derby Homes recognises that it cannot work in isolation and the causes and effects of hate incidents are wide ranging and varied and can affect people in diverse ways.

3.5 Derby Homes will therefore seek to work in partnership with other agencies to ensure that the best possible individual and family support is developed, delivered, and evaluated. 
Derby Homes recognises that its tenants are also key partners and that cross -sector working is the only way to effectively respond to hate crime.

Partners include but are not limited to:

• Derbyshire Police
• Safer Derbyshire Partnership (SDP)
• Derby City Council 
• Social Care
• Children and Young People Services
• Derbyshire Safeguarding Children’s Board
• Stop Hate UK
• Disability Direct
• Any other relevant statutory or voluntary organisation  

3.6 Derby Homes is represented on the relevant strategic group in Derby to play an active role in tackling Hate Crimes and Incidents and sharing information and best practise around the Hate Crime agenda. 
The purpose of the Hate Crime Network is to work in partnership, to strengthen collaboration, co-create strategies for tackling hate incidents and hate crimes and to act as a sub-group of the Neighbourhood Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour Thematic Board (NCAB). The aim is to provide a forum for which multi-agency partners can plan, share and develop actions and activities relating to hate crime across Derbyshire and Derby City.

3.7 In addition to being linked to the SDP priorities, the Hate Policy has clear links to other Derby Homes’ strategies, policies, and action plans, in particular:

• Derby Homes Anti-social Behaviour Policy
• Derby Homes Inclusion Strategy
• Equalities Policy
• Equalities Procedure 
• Derby Homes Safeguarding Policy
• Derby City Council - Allocations Policy 2020 to 2025
• Housing Options Procedures 
• Derby’s Homelessness Strategy
• Derby Homes Neighbourhood Management Policy   
• Our equality commitment - Derby City Council

4.0 Policy statement

4.1 Derby Homes seeks to create sustainable neighbourhoods whereby people from all diverse backgrounds and groups can exist side by side within a culture of co-operation and respect. By responding effectively to hate incidents, by supporting victims and managing perpetrators, Derby Homes will develop a culture of zero tolerance to such incidents, thus combating exclusion and promoting people’s ability to play their full part in society.

4.2 Derby Homes will treat all reported incidents of hate very seriously and will take immediate and appropriate action whenever incidents are reported or identified. 

All of our staff have received training on how to respond sensitively and empathetically to reported incidents and receive supervisory support.

Training is regularly refreshed and the data regarding Derby Homes’ performance around hate crime is assessed at the Safer Derbyshire Partnership. Derby Home uses the 3 -step model of Recognise, Record, and Respond in its approach to testing the effectiveness of its hate crime policy.

4.3 Incidents of hate can be traumatic for the victim and can lead to on-going disputes, community tension and the isolation of individual and/or families. Derby Homes will offer support including counselling to those affected by hate incidents. 

4.4 Derby Homes acknowledge that zero tolerance of hate incidents is in the best interest of the organisation, its customers, staff, and the City as a whole. 

At an organisational level Derby Homes recognises that the poor management of hate crime reports, will have a devastating impact on our residents, and communities and that poor performance could also constitute a form of abuse.

4.5 Derby Homes will promote hate crime victim services online and already provide an online reporting tool to make it easier for victims to come forward to report hate Incidents as well as Anti-Social Behaviour.

4.6 A victim-centered approach will be used to ensure that customers have access to appropriate support services and feel able to work with Derby Homes staff in the investigation of the incident. A victim-centered approach is one where we work towards meeting the needs and outcomes specified by the victim (as far as possible) treating each case on its own merits. 

Derby Homes will where requested provide a single point of contact from start to finish by way of an allocated Anti-Social Behaviour Officer. 

This approach will be linked to our safeguarding practices informed by risk assessment on a case-by-case basis and will be refreshed regularly.

4.7 Derby Homes will use the legislative framework to ensure the protection of victims and the management of perpetrators to stop the incidents repeating. This can include legal action such as injunctions. 

Our responses will be measured, proportionate, and assessed through a victim-centered lens by paying due regard to the Regulator for Social Housing’s 2019 Neighbourhood and Community Standard.

4.8 Derby Homes will work to prevent homelessness and to help victims of hate incidents remain in their home feeling safe. This will be done by offering and providing target hardening measures including, but not limited to, extra locks, security lights and other measures. 

4.9 Derby Homes will follow child protection/vulnerable adult safeguarding procedures where it is believed a child or vulnerable adult is at risk due to incidents of hate incidents. 
Derby Homes recognises that Hate Crime is a form of discriminatory and emotional abuse and can also include other forms of abuse such as physical or sexual abuse.

4.10 Derby Homes will work with other agencies and specialist organisations to ensure that appropriate best practice is employed in the prevention of and response to hate incidents. 

Derby Homes will support and encourage victims of hate to report incidents to Derbyshire Police, we report all incidents to STOP HATE UK where we have the consent from a victim to do so and provide more general advice and information to customers regards Hate Crime support agencies. 

4.11 Derby Homes recognises that encouraging more incidents being reported enables it to gauge the true scale of the issue in Derby and to its customers more generally and enables Derby Homes to target resources and overall may prevent further incidents occurring.

4.12 Employees are given appropriate training which covers the impact of hate crime and Derby Homes’ response to hate incidents. Staff are trained to recognise and record hate incidents and how to challenge and respond. In addition, support and guidance is given to employees who may be a victim of hate incidents. Derby Homes does not condone hate incidents or incidents perpetrated by employees under any circumstances in or outside of work hours and will not treat such incidents as a purely private matter.

4.13 Derby Homes will provide a confidential service and will not exchange any information with any other agency without the persons written consent or unless vulnerable adult or child protection issues are suspected. In these circumstances, information will be exchanged in order to prevent and detect incidents and will be conducted in line with Safer Derbyshire’s Partnership information sharing protocol.
This protocol will be shared with the victims of hate crime.

Derby Homes recognises that confidentiality is fundamental to developing a relationship of trust with persons who experience hate incidents and guarantees that any information provided will be in the strictest of confidence. 

Derby Homes understands that some victims may wish to remain anonymous through fear of reprisal or escalation.

Derby Homes will only share information where it is absolutely necessary and will only be exchanged in line with the Safer Derbyshire Partnership (DSP) protocols for the exchange of information and relevant protocols for both child protection and vulnerable adults.

4.14 Derby Homes will meet any access or cultural needs of the victim for example providing an interpreter or assisting those with literacy or cognitive challenges or impairments.

Derby Homes will aim to update the victims of hate crime fortnightly, even in the absence of significant developments.

4.15 Derby Homes will map and monitor all hate incidents/crimes to identify any trends. Using this information DH will undertake targeted work to prevent incidents occurring.

5.0 Ownership, Monitoring & Review

5.1 This Policy is owned by the Housing Management Directorate and will be monitored by the relevant Management Team. There is additional responsibility in each Directorate for the implementation of the policy ensuring a robust line of accountability.

5.2 The Policy will be reviewed in line with the Housing Management Policy and Procedure Review Schedule. 

5.3 The number of Hate incident cases will be monitored quarterly, and performance will be publicised on the website, and by using other methods for residents who are digitally excluded.