Officers from the Education Partnership Unit hosted a Hate Crime Awareness event at Queen Mary’s College in Basingstoke this week to mark the college becoming a Third Party Reporting Centre.

PC Steph Wheeler and PC Liam Davies visited the college on Monday 14 October and spoke with the students about the support they can receive.

Third Party Reporting Centres (TPRCs) support victims to report experiences of hate crime without having to contact the police directly.

They allow victims to report anonymously; provide as much detail as they feel comfortable; choose where, when and how they wish to be contacted; and decide whether to give their personal details to the police.

Witnesses and third parties can also report through TPRCs, and reporting can be done using the online form or a physical form.

Staff at Queen Mary’s College received police training and the college officially became a TPRC this week. It is the first time a college in Basingstoke has become a TPRC and it is now the fourth one in the district. The one at QMC is for the use of college students only.

Basingstoke Town Inspector Charlie Ilderton said: “It is widely known that hate crimes are significantly under-reported and that there are many barriers to why victims may not wish to report directly to the police.

“TPRCs overcome some of these barriers and provide people with an alternative means of reporting hate crime in a manner lead by the victim.

“We hope the introduction of this centre will give people the confidence to report any hate crime they have experienced, or have witnessed, to help us tackle these types of issues in our communities.”

Queen Mary’s College Principal Mark Henderson said: “It makes me feel very proud of everybody at Queen Mary’s College. Finding ways to overcome the barriers to reporting hate crime can be life changing and in some cases lifesaving.”

The session on Monday took place as the force helped support National Hate Crime Awareness Week.

A hate crime is any criminal offence perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice to the person's race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or disability - remember someone may have a hidden disability and still be targeted.

A victim does not have to be a member of the group at which hostility is targeted. If you are a victim, or have witnessed a crime motivated by hate, report it now.

If you see it or experience it, report it online at 101, via True Vision - https://www.report-it.org.uk/home or via Third Party Reporting Centres.

To find where your nearest TPRC is, please click this link: https://www.hampshire-pcc.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Third-Party-Reporting-Centres-October-2019.pdf

If you are interested in joining the local Basingstoke Hate Crime Awareness Group, please contact BHCAG@bvaction.org.uk