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Third Party Reporting Centres

West Midlands Police is working with a range of partner agencies to pilot ‘third party reporting centres’ across the force, as part of its campaign to encourage more victims to report hate crime.

Hate crime has traditionally been under-reported due to the barriers perceived by the victim, such as fear of the police, unwillingness to go to a police station or concerns that they won’t be understood or believed.

Third party reporting centres, which could be community groups, housing associations, day care centres or other organisations, allow victims to speak to someone in an environment they are familiar with, to people they know and trust. Third party reporting centres allow the police to have a greater understanding and a clearer picture of hate crime, enabling police and partners to respond more effectively.

Many organisations have skills or knowledge required to ensure the process of reporting hate crime is as uncomplicated as possible for the victim. They are also able to offer support to victims.

  • The force is piloting a third party reporting centre initiative with disability services provider Remploy, which works to remove complex barriers to work for disabled people and others by providing sustainable employment opportunities.

Gareth Parry, Midlands regional director for Remploy, said: “At Remploy we do everything we can to ensure that disabled people feel safe and secure when they access our services.

“It’s a natural extension then for us to provide those customers with an opportunity to safely report incidents of hate crime. We are delighted to be working with West Midlands Police on this initiative and hope it is something many more organisations will support also.”

  • In Solihull, the force has been linking in with 22 different third party reporting centres, including Enable-Solihull. This organisation helps people lead the fullest possible life, whatever their personal health or physical difficulties, through providing information and guidance to disabled people, their carers and support organisations.

Sarah Whitehouse, project support officer at Enable-Solihull, works closely with local officers, even acting as an appropriate adult when required, and sits on the force’s Disability Hate Crime Group, which helps to influence the way the police engage with disabled people.

She said: “Disability hate crime is a growing problem, causing great distress and trauma to its victims. Despite this, the problem often goes unrecognised and unreported. Enable-Solihull is working with Solihull Council and West Midlands Police to tackle this issue, by raising awareness and introducing third-party reporting centres.”

Similar projects are also underway in Walsall and West Bromwich.

  • Become a third party reporting centre:

The force is now looking for other organisations who would like to become third party reporting centres and broaden the service they are able to provide to their customers. These could include those offering services for members of faith, race, disability, gender identity or Lesbian Gay and Bisexual communities.

Full training will be provided for staff, as well as guidance leaflets and marketing materials. Centres will be asked to sign up to a set of principles, similar to a ‘kite mark’, which will set out what is expected of them and what support they can expect from the police.

If you are interested in becoming a third party reporting centre, contact the West Midlands Police Diversity Unit on 0345 113 5000 or your local police station.

Non-police reporting centres

The following web links will direct you to your local authority.  The links will display a range of alternative contact numbers as well as local advice and guidance on hate Crime.

Birmingham

UK: 0121 303 1111
email: contact@birmingham.gov.uk

Victim Support West Midlands - Helpline
0800 328 3623

Solihull

Walsall

Coventry

Dudley

Wolverhampton

West Midlands Police

Local Police Stations:

Once you have reported a hate crime to West Midlands Police, we will:

  • Attend promptly and investigate thoroughly
  • Protect victims and potential witnesses
  • Take positive steps to identify offenders and bring them to justice
  • Offer support and guidance for victims
  • Keep victims informed of progress
  • Monitor hate crime incidents

Support groups