South Essex College becomes a Hate Incident Reporting Centre

South Essex College has worked in partnership with Essex Police to become a Hate Incident Reporting Centre (HIRC).

Over the summer, 26 members of staff from across the college were trained as ambassadors which means they are now able to support anyone who is a victim of, or a witness to, a hate crime.

This move is part of the college’s ongoing commitment to working with the police and partners to make the college and surrounding communities a safer place for all, and not in relation to any specific intelligence or concerns within the college.

A hate crime is any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or anybody else to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone’s race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or disability. A hate crime can include verbal abuse, threats, harassment, intimidation, damage to property and assault.

Jane Belcher, Head of Safeguarding at the college, said “Becoming a HIRC is an important role for the college in our communities. We are committed to creating a safe place for everyone to work and learn, free from harassment. The training and signing up to be a HIRC means that students, staff and members of our community have a safe place to get advice and support.”

Over the summer break, Essex Police trained 26 staff across Safeguarding, Additional Learning Support, Human Resources, Estates, Higher Education Support and Learning & Progression teams to become ambassadors. These ambassadors are available to support anyone who has been affected by hate crime and to help them consider their options and report the incident to the police.

For more information on what is a hate crime please visit www.hatecrime.campaign.gov.uk

To report a hate crime/incident independently please visit www.essex.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/hco/hate-crime/ 

To report anonymously visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org/keeping-safe/personal-safety/hate-crime