A Hate Crime can be any crime that is perceived by the victim, or a witness, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards an aspect of the victim's identity.

For the purposes of reporting, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) defines hate incidents and crimes in the following way: 

Hate Incident: "Any non-crime incident which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any non-crime incident motivated by a hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender" 

Hate Crime: "Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by a hostility or prejudice based on a person’s race or perceived race; religion or perceived religion; sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation; disability or perceived disability and any crime motivated by a hostility or prejudice against a person who is transgender or perceived to be transgender.". 

Examples of hate crimes and incidents

If a crime or incident is perceived to be motivated by prejudice or hostility, it is considered to be a hate crime or incident. As such, there are many types of incidents which are categorised as hate crimes or hate incidents. If any of the following examples are perceived to be perpetrated because of a prejudice or hostility towards an aspect of the victim's identity, they are considered a hate crime or hate incident.

• Antisocial behaviour (ASB)
• Verbal abuse 
• Spitting 
• Abusive gestures 
• Threats 
• Vandalism and property damage 
• Graffiti 
• Cyberbullying and online hate e.g., abuse on Facebook and Twitter 
• Malicious communications, e.g. letters, leaflets, email
• Intimidation 
• Harassment
• Assault 
• Theft
• Sexual assault and rape 
• Arson 
• Murder