ANTI-hate crime posters went up on all buses in Brighton & Hove from Saturday, October 13 – the start of National Hate Crime Awareness Week – encouraging people to report incidents. You can also report such incident using social media #NoHateHere.
Hate crime can include insults, shoving, attacking or intimidation. It can be verbal, as well as physical. While it’s rare on B&H Buses (98% of passengers said they felt safe in the independent Bus Passenger Survey), B&H Buses want their customers to know that they will act when it does occur.
Brighton & Hove Buses’ Managing Director Martin Harris said: “We want people to have the confidence to report all forms of hate crimes and to help us confront prejudice and discrimination in Brighton & Hove. Our drivers’ union, Unite, has also got behind the campaign.
“While incidents of hate crime are low on our network and all our buses have CCTV, every passenger deserves to feel safe and respected on every journey. Each incident that’s reported on our buses will be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly. The perpetrators will not get away with it.”
After the first month, the poster will stay on one in every four of our buses, covering about 1.4 million journeys every month. Posters will also be displayed with local community groups and yellow #NoHateHere wallets will be distributed, which define hate crime and say how to report it.
Sussex Police Superintendent Ed De La Rue added: “Everyone should be free to live their lives without fear of abuse or attack on the basis of who they are, what they believe, or how they look.
“It’s fantastic to see Brighton and Hove Buses acting to raise awareness of this problem and make it easier for people to report it and get support if it happens to them. We should all act to make sure there is #NoPlaceForHate.”
Cllr Emma Daniel, Chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Neighbourhoods, Inclusion, Communities & Equalities Committee, said: “Hate incidents of any kind are unacceptable and we’re really pleased to be a part of this partnership campaign to tackle it. It’s really important people know how to report all hate incidents, including verbal abuse.”
This anti-hate crime campaign was devised in partnership with local community groups and the Racial Harassment Forum, which includes representatives from the city’s black and minority ethnic community groups, the voluntary sector, Sussex Police, Probation Services, and Brighton & Hove City Council.