VICTIMS of hate crime in Crewe and Nantwich will be able to report incidents at a new ‘community reporting centre’ for people afraid to go to the police.
The centre will provide people who feel they are being targeted because of their sexuality, disability religion or gender with a confidential service, and Cheshire chief constable Peter Fahy has welcomed the scheme.
Mr Fahy said: “We know victims of hate crime may have a reluctance to come forward or an inability to express themselves.”
The Crewe reporting centre will be based at Wulvern Housing’s Electra Way head office. Staff have been trained to receive reports, and if the victim wishes to remain anonymous, the details of the crime will be passed to police but not the complainants personal details.
Wulvern’s Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator, Matthew Cox, who is working with Manchester and District Housing on the scheme, said: “We hope this service will encourage victims of hate crime to take a stand against those who are targeting them.
“Even if the victim remains anonymous, the police need to know what’s happening in our communities so they can respond to deep-seated problems or changing trends.”
Wulvern Housing can be contacted on 01270 506200. Reports can also be made directly to the police on 0845 458 0000.
