£26,000 help for sufferers of hate crime

A 24-HOUR helpline for victims of hate crime is to be set up in Derbyshire.

The service will cost £26,000 a year to run and will offer advice to people who were victimised because of their religion, race or sexuality.

The project is being launched by Derbyshire Criminal Justice Board and victims will be able to get advice in 19 different languages from trained call-handlers.

Derbyshire police are paying £14,000 towards running costs, a further £4,000 is coming from Derby City Community Safety Partnership and the county council is being asked to provide the remaining £8,000 for the first year.

The service will be provided by Leeds-based charity Stop Hate UK, which gives help and support to hate crime victims.

Denise White, chairman of the criminal justice board, said: "By increasing the number of independent reporting mechanisms, we hope people will have more confidence in coming forward.

"The provision of such a facility would serve to underline the commitment of all agencies to tackling hate crime in all its forms."

Hate crime can include anything from verbal abuse to assault in reaction to the victims' race, religion, race, sexuality, gender or disability.

Stop Hate UK runs helplines throughout the country.

The criminal justice board believes that victims tend not to report hate crimes.

It hopes that a dedicated helpline will increase the number of incidents reported so that police can investigate.

As part of the funding, Stop Hate UK will provide promotional material in 19 languages, in print, braille and audio.

Rose Simkins, a director of the charity, said: "The service was set up because there was a recognised need for a 24-hour service for victims of hate crime.

"We can take the time with victims and talk to them about what they want to happen as a result.

"We can explore options for the victim.

"It is about offering the support so victims can then go on and build their confidence."

A spokeswoman for the criminal justice board said the £8,000 was expected to be agreed by the county council and the helpline could be launched in October.

The council's cabinet member for community safety, Clive Moesby, is due make a decision on the appeal for cash on Tuesday.

After the first year, funding would be sought to continue the service.