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SHSU is a safe, inclusive organisation and we work hard to prevent hate crime and support students who become victims of hate crime
Sheffield Hallam Students' Union is a safe, inclusive organisation and we work hard to prevent hate crime and support students who become victims of hate crime or incidents. The Student Advice Centre is a designated Hate Crime Reporting Centre and we work closely with South Yorkshire Police to tackle hate crime across the city.
We are proud to represent and support an incredibly diverse student body, and we want our students to be safe during their time at university.
A hate crime is a criminal offence targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards a person’s actual or perceived;
Disability Race or ethnicity Religion or belief Sexual orientation Transgender identity
This can be committed against a person or property. The victim does not have to define into any of these groups but the perception that they do must exist for it to be a hate crime with an element of hostility or prejudice.
Different to a hate crime, a hate incident is not a crime but an act committed because of hostility or prejudice towards a person based on the same categories as above.
A hate crime or hate incident can take many forms including, but not limited to:
Physical: such as offensive graffiti, threat of attacks including offensive letters, abusive or obscene telephone calls, intimidating behaviour including gangs hanging around and unfounded, malicious complaints.
Verbal: offensive leaflets and posters, abusive gestures, bullying at school or in the workplace.
How to report a hate incident or hate crime?
The Student Advice Centre is a designated Hate Crime Reporting Centre, which means we provide a free, confidential service to help support you if you feel you have been the victim of a hate crime or hate incident. We are here to assist you in reporting any incidents as either a victim or a witness.
You can visit the Student Advice Centre at The HUBS (City Campus), and our advisors will guide you through the reporting process, or you can:
- Call 101 for non-emergencies or 999 in an emergency
- If you are deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired textphone 18001 101, or SMS 07786 220022
- Report a hate crime online
By using these reporting mechanisms you will send information to the police, either with your details or anonymised depending on your choice. The police will use this to follow up a crime or to build a picture of problems happening in the area concerned. So, even if you don't wish to give your details or take further action, reporting still helps in tackling the issue.
Sheffield Hallam is a safe and tolerant community. We don’t stand for harassment or abuse. If you have experienced sexual violence, harassment, abuse or hate crime report it either anonymously or get support from an adviser. The best place to report any of these incidents is through the University's Report and Support site.
You can report anonymously or you can speak to specialist members of SHU Student Wellbeing team. They can help you to go through your options: including reporting the incident to police, to the university, or to access medical and emotional support only and make no formal report. If the hate incident or hate crime happened on campus, in your hall of residence or other property rented through the university accommodation service - or otherwise involved another student or a member of University staff - you can report this to the University. The situation will be investigated and action may be taken against the person or people involved. The Student Advice Centre can advise you on the process for reporting an incident to the University.
If you experience a hate incident or hate crime, you may find this affects your housing arrangements or your academic work. An adviser at the Student Advice Centre can discuss your options and support you in taking any action.
The University's Student Wellbeing service offers counselling and wellbeing support if you wish to talk about how the hate incident or hate crime has affected you:
https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/home/social-care/hate-crime.html https://www.southyorks.police.uk/find-out/crime-prevention-advice/hate-crime/ http://www.stophateuk.org/ https://www.sariweb.org.uk/ https://www.victimsupport.org.uk/ https://www.nusconnect.org.uk/learning-resources/faith-and-belief/hate-crime