A Hate Incident is defined as;

‘Any incident, which may or may not constitute a criminal offence, which is perceived by the victim or any other person, as being motivated by prejudice or hate’.

Primarily, the perception of the victim or any other person is the defining factor in determining a hate incident. The apparent lack of motivation as the cause of an incident is not relevant, as it is ‘perception’ that counts.

The prejudice or hate perceived may be based on any identifying factor and as such, a victim of hate does not have to be a member of a minority group or someone who is generally considered to be vulnerable.

To provide consistency in the recording of hate incidents, the Gloucestershire Constabulary and Gloucestershire Hate Crime & Incident Strategic Group have adopted the following categories by which to group and record incidents;

· Age
· Disability (including mental health)
· Gender (including transphobia)
· Race (ethnicity)
· Religion (including faith & belief)
· Sexual Orientation (including lesbian, gay and bi-sexual)
· Any other group identity