Bullying, victimisation and hate crime should not ever be excused or tolerated in our community.
Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect and the police and its partner organisations take a zero tolerance approach to matters relating to hate crime and bullying.
Who should I contact to tell them about the issue?
If you feel you have been bullied or victimised that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, or other grounds you can report it online as a victim, a witness or on behalf of someone else. your can report it to Dorset Police by calling 101 or visiting their website www.dorset.police.uk.
If you do not feel able to report a hate crime directly to the police you can report it to a Hate Crime Third Party Reporting Centre. Dorset Race Equality Council is one of them you can call them on 01202 392954. Please visit their website by following this link >>
Another third party reporting centre is Citizens Advice. You can call the “You Report, We Support” AdviceLine: 0808 2787 939 or you can visit their web site by following this link: http://www.citizensadvicebcp.org.uk/hate-crime-project/
We all support and encourage the reporting of hate crime. If you feel you have been bullied or victimised that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, or other grounds, Please follow this link>>
If you are experiencing bullying at school
School bullying is something that often goes unreported and we all too often see the negative impact bullying has on those involved. As parents, guardians, friends and family members we can all help in tackling the issue head on. When an individual has taken the brave step to say they are being bullied everybody needs to help and not simply ignore.
In the first instance contact the school and highlight it to the school’s head teacher. If nothing changes then make an appointment to see the head teacher to discuss the issues that are occurring.
Before this meeting it is always a good idea to visit the school’s website and print of their bullying policy. They will state a number of pledges they undergo to stop bullying in their school. Don’t be afraid to highlight these to the school and challenge appropriately when there are clear indications that they are not being carried out.
Challenging facts and broken promises can often deal with the issue, as the school realises they are not fulfilling their obligations which they have clearly stated in their policy.
If the problem still exists after the head teacher meeting then you can approach the head of governors who would have agreed the policy and explained that the pledges by the school to tackle bullying are not being fulfilled.
If problems are occurring outside of school, try for the school to solve the issue first. If it is happening outside of school then it is most likely happening in school.
The following information will be helpful when calling to address the issue
1 -How it is occurring – Text? Email? Phone Calls? Social Media? Physical? Emotional?
2 – What is being said and done?
3 – Who is involved?
4 – How long has it been happening?
5 – Where is it happening in school or out?
6 – Effect it is happening on those involved?
You can download our “What information will we need” sheet to help you collect as much details before you call. Please follow this link to download>>
Once I have told them what happens next?
Once you have contacted the school and had the discussion as outlined above they have a duty to investigate and should offer you a point of contact. Once this has been established there are a number of initiatives that can be put in place to solve the issue, the school will inform you of these. Some schools will offer you weekly updates if not then ask for regular updates.
What can I and other members of my community do to help?
Be prepared to take your own preventative action. This may include, but is not restricted to:
1. Talking about bullying openly with the victim and ask their needs.
2. Report the problem to the school.
3. Contact the school or college to also take action to safeguard those targeted.
4. If it continues arrange to meet head teacher to discuss.
5. Do not respond to the person targeting you.
6. Keep a diary of events to give to the school.
7. Know expectations set by the school via their website and ensure they are being met.
What happens if the problem continues?
If the school has failed to deal with your concerns and the Board of Governors have also failed there is the option of OFSTED. We would urge that you allow the school time to deal with the issue before taking these steps. Simply challenging them on their own procedure is enough to see real action taking place.
If the problem persists or the level goes beyond bullying and turns into criminal activity that can’t be dealt with locally. Contact the Police on 101 or use the local Police Force website to email the local Neighbourhood Policing Team. Contact us | Dorset Police
If you decide to report officially an officer will contact you to talk through the issue and ask if you have attempted to resolve the issue yourself with the school.
Social media bullying or trolling,
if you are a young person, Childline is your first place to seek help. It is important to remember that anyone can be bullied or trolled on social media. It can be hard to know what to do if it happens to you or someone you know. Childline is a useful site that can help young people to cope and report the bullying. Childline has an excellent resource online to help advise and guide a young person if they are being affective by issues online. Please visit their website at www.childline.org.uk. You can also call them free on 0800 1111
Hate Crime:
Hate crime is a crime, typically one involving violence, that is motivated by prejudice on the basis of race, religion, sexual orientation, or other grounds.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Hate Crime Project are dedicated to supporting and the reporting of Hate Crime. The aim of their project is to raise awareness about prejudice and about how they support people or others that witness hate crime to report it.
- They undertake training to frontline staff;
- Raise awareness in community or other public settings;
- And support people on a one to one basis.
On this webpage, you will see:
- What is a Hate Crime/Incident;
- What can be offered as support;
- How to report;
- What happens after an incident;
- Support Organisations;
- Social media links;
- Podcast and Video links.
You can report by following this link You Report, We Support>>>
You can call the “You Report, We Support” AdviceLine: 0808 2787 939
You can visit their web site by following this link: http://www.citizensadvicebcp.org.uk/hate-crime-project/
You follow them on Twitter: – @CitaBCPHCP19 Or Instagram : – hatecrimeprojectcabcp