Community Cohesion Officers are spreading the word that Humberside Police will not tolerate Hate Crime - and nor should anyone else.
A short film by Polish production company Astor Productions, has been commissioned by Humberside Police and partner agencies, to educate people in diverse communities about what Hate Crime is; what to look out for; where to report it and who can help.
The film, which is three and a half minutes long, follows the journey of a woman (Coronation Street actress Amy Forest) who witnesses three incidents, where a man has verbally abused three different types of minority groups.
The lead character contemplates whether to call the police and report the incident. She questions what constitutes Hate Crime, who to turn to for support, and how she can report the inexcusable behaviour she has seen.
The DVD was commissioned by the Police to complement a presentation which is delivered to Hull based diverse communities, including: Black and Ethnic Minority, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transexual (LGBT), faith and religious groups, youth groups, the elderly, people with immigration status and disabled people.
If successful, the scheme will be rolled out across the force area.
Funding for the project has come from Humberside Police, Neighbourhood Network, Tribune Trust and Hull City Council.
Hate Crime can be reported to Humberside Police on 101 in a non-emergency, or 999 for an incident in progress.
Alternatively people can call the 24 hour Hate Crime Reporting Line, on 0300 123 4283.
Customer Service Centre staff at Hull City Council have been trained to help anyone who wishes to report a crime, and they be contacted on 01482 300 300, or in any centre across Hull.
PC Sharon Houfe, Community Cohesion Officer for Hull, is hopeful the video will help people to realise that Hate Crime can come in all different forms. She said: “Hate Crime tends to be unreported in our area, possibly due to people not knowing what Hate Crime is and how the Police can help.
“Hate Crime is a hidden problem, as people seemingly don’t report the low level crime, such as verbal abuse.
“We want people to get in touch with us before any situation escalates, so we can intervene, and carry out an investigation which is victim led, to resolve any issues, before they get out of hand.”
Geoff Ogden, Director of the High Sheriffs’ and Humberside Police Tribune Trust. added: “The trustees of the Tribune Trust had no hesitation in supporting and funding the filming and production of this excellent DVD.
“Hate crime causes misery and fear for the victim and their families. It can lead to real community tension and worse.
“History is littered with examples of bias motivated criminal offences being ignored leading to appalling crimes against humanity and we want to see this stamped out at the earliest opportunity.”
Louise Yates, Arts Development Officer at Hull City Council, is pleased to be involved in the project and in particular to support Kris as a Film maker. She said: “This project has given us the opportunity to work with a talented film maker from the Polish community.
“We hope that this relationship grows and we can continue to support other artists from this community.
“City Arts Unit can offer support to artists who want to develop their ideas, whether it’s advice about funding or help with marketing we can help artist to make their project happen.”