Victoria Police, including its Whittlesea and Hume units, is bolstering efforts to tackle hate and prejudice motivated crime with new resources launched recently.
A new animation and poster have been made available in 10 languages to help diverse communities understand how to get support and report crimes caused by hate or prejudice.
The resources are available in English, Arabic, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Hindi, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Somali, Urdu and Vietnamese.
A prejudice motivated crime is caused by hate towards another person or group because of characteristics such as race, religion, age, disability or sexuality.
Examples can include physical or verbal abuse, property damage or harassment. These crimes can take place in public or online.
While they occur in Victoria, and around the country, they often go unreported to police and other authorities.
When reported to police, officers will work closely with the victim to determine if the crime is caused by prejudice.
Recording this information helps police identify trends and prevent further incidents from happening.
Victoria Police priority and safer communities division Commander Lisa Hardeman said that everyone has a right to feel safe in the community, regardless of who they are.
“But sadly we know that this is not always the case,” she said.
“Racism and hate have no place in our society.
“But around in the world, and in Victoria, we have seen members of our community subjected to unacceptable harm caused by prejudice motivated crimes.
“These incidents can have a significant impact to a victim’s sense of safety, and they can also leave our broader communities feeling vulnerable, threatened and isolated.
“We know reporting these types of incidents can be intimidating for members of our community who do not speak English as their first language.
“This is why we’re releasing these resources to help more of our community know how to seek help.
“Police take everyone’s safety seriously.”
The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission can also receive reports of racism, discrimination, vilification and abuse.
These crimes can also be reported anonymously to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
More information about prejudice motivated crime, and links to access the animation and poster, can be found on the Victoria Police website.
Details: www.police.vic.gov.au/prejudice-motivated-crime
