Police in Cardiff have carried out a day of action raising awareness of hate crime across the city.
Officers from the Community Safety Department visited almost 200 addresses on Thursday advising residents and businesses on how to report hate crime and offering reassurance.
Hate incidents or crime are those which are perceived by the victim, or any other person, to have been motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone’s race, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or their perceived identity.
Hate crime officer PC Jason Coultis said: “Cardiff is a modern, multi-cultural city where people of different religions, faiths and cultures live side by side and have done for many, many years but as with all big cities there are sporadic incidents of hate crime.
“Unfortunately we know that many hate crimes still go unreported so we are always working hard to encourage victims to contact us so we can offer them support and deal with the perpetrator.”
Around 80 to 100 hate incidents or crimes are reported in Cardiff each month.
The majority, an estimated 60 to 70 per cent, are verbal abuse often committed by intoxicated people towards night-time economy workers such as taxi drivers and food outlet staff.
Other incidents can include assault and criminal damage such as graffiti, smashed windows, and vehicle damage.
Yesterday’s operation focussed on Ely, Fairwater and Cardiff Bay but there are plans to visit other police sectors in coming months.
Pc Coultis added: “Overall the feedback from the public was positive. Those we visited appreciated officers simply calling in to see how they were and if they had any issues.”
Hate crime can be reported in a number of ways:
Contact the police on 101 (or 999 in an emergency)
Report online via the www.saferwales.com website
Third party reporting centres. Local agencies, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, can report the incident and provide advice and support.
