How to Report a Hate Crime in Scotland

Nobody should have to put up with abuse, threats or violence because of who they are. Yet many people who experience hate crime in Scotland never tell anyone official about it. Some are not sure whether what happened “counts”. Others worry they will not be believed, or do not know where to go.

This guide explains, in plain language, what hate crime means under Scottish law and the different ways to report a hate crime in Scotland, including options that do not involve going to a police station and options that let you stay anonymous. It is written for anyone: people who are new to Scotland, long-standing residents, friends, neighbours and witnesses.

If you or someone else is in danger right now, call 999.

Please note: this article is general information, not legal advice. Contact details and services can change, so check the official links below before relying on them.

What is a hate crime in Scotland?

The Scottish Government describes hate crime as behaviour that is both criminal and rooted in prejudice: the law has been broken, and the offender’s actions were driven by hatred towards a particular group.

Since 1 April 2024, hate crime law has been brought together in the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021. According to the Scottish Government’s hate crime policy page, the law protects people on the basis of:

age
disability
race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origin)
religion
sexual orientation
transgender identity
variations in sex characteristics

Hate crime can include assault, verbal abuse, harassment, online abuse and threatening behaviour. Under the Act, it can still be a hate crime if the offender only assumed someone belonged to a group, or targeted them because of their association with members of that group.

Not sure if it was a crime?

You do not have to work that out yourself. Police Scotland’s advice is simple: “if it feels wrong, report it and let us help.” It is the police’s job to decide whether a crime has taken place. Telling them it may have been motivated by prejudice helps them understand what happened.

How common is hate crime in Scotland?

The most recent official figures cover 2024-25, the first year of the new Act. The Scottish Government’s report, Hate crimes recorded by the police in Scotland, 2024-25, found that:

the police recorded 8,538 hate crimes in Scotland in 2024-25;
over three-fifths (62%) included a race aggravator, just under a quarter (24%) a sexual orientation aggravator, and 12% a disability aggravator;
Glasgow City and the City of Edinburgh had the highest rates, at 32 and 25 recorded hate crimes per 10,000 people respectively.

Because the law and the recording systems changed in April 2024, the Scottish Government says these figures cannot be compared like for like with earlier years. It is also important to remember that recorded crime only includes incidents that come to police attention. Many are never reported.

Why people do not report, and why it still matters

In February 2026 the Scottish Government published an evidence review on barriers to reporting hate crime. It identified five main barriers:

not knowing what hate crime is or how to report it;
doubts that the police or justice system will take the complaint seriously;
feeling the incident is “not serious enough”, or happens so often that reporting every time seems pointless;
fear of the ongoing impact, such as reprisals, or personal information becoming known;
accessibility and language barriers.

If any of these feel familiar, you are not alone. The review also highlights that there are several ways to report, designed partly to reduce accessibility and language barriers. Reporting helps the police and local services understand what is happening in a community, and it gives you access to support.

Police Scotland’s hate crime reporting page says you can report whether it happened to you or you saw it happen to someone else, as a friend, neighbour, family member, support worker or passer-by. The main options are set out below.

1. Contact the police directly

Phone 999 in an emergency, or 101 if it is not an emergency.
Go in person to any police station.
Use the online hate crime reporting form for non-urgent reports. Police Scotland says online forms are reviewed and progressed in “slow time”, so do not use them if you need help quickly.

2. Use an accessible option

If you are Deaf, hard of hearing or find speaking difficult, you can text 999 in an emergency, but only if you have registered for the emergency SMS service in advance.
British Sign Language users can contact the police through Contact Scotland-BSL.
If you use Relay UK, Police Scotland lists 18001 101 for non-emergency contact.

3. Go through a Third Party Reporting Centre

Some people feel more comfortable speaking to an organisation they already know. Police Scotland works with Third Party Reporting Centres across Scotland. These can be housing associations, Victim Support offices and voluntary groups, where staff are trained to recognise hate crime and help victims or witnesses submit a report to the police.

Police Scotland publishes a list of centres for each area of Scotland. At the time of writing, the Greater Glasgow list includes organisations such as the Scottish Refugee Council, the British Red Cross, Maryhill Integration Network, Govan Community Project, Amina (the Muslim Women’s Resource Centre) and several housing associations. Lists are updated from time to time, so check the current document for your area before visiting.

You can make a third party report without giving your name. However, Police Scotland notes that this may limit how much it can investigate.

4. Report anonymously through Crimestoppers

If you would prefer not to give your details at all, you can contact Crimestoppers, an independent charity, on 0800 555 111 or through its online form. Police Scotland describes this route as “100% anonymous”.

What to note down and keep

You can report even if you have not collected anything, but details help. If it is safe to do so, try to note:

the date, time and exact place it happened;
what was said or done, written down as close to word for word as possible;
a description of the person or people involved;
the names or contact details of any witnesses;
photos of any damage or injuries.

For online abuse, take screenshots that show the message, the account name and the date before anything is deleted. Keep copies of letters, texts or voicemails. Never put yourself at risk to gather evidence.

Getting support after a hate crime

Hate crime can affect people long after the incident itself. The Scottish Government’s factsheet notes that some people become scared to leave their homes or change their daily routines to avoid abuse. Feeling anxious, angry or low afterwards is a common reaction.

Victim Support Scotland offers a free helpline on 0800 160 1985 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 10am to 4pm at weekends, at the time of writing), plus online chat. You can contact them whether or not you have reported to the police.
If you are a refugee or person seeking asylum and have questions about your situation, the Scottish Refugee Council runs a free, confidential helpline for information and advice on refugee and asylum issues (0808 196 7274 at the time of writing).
Your GP, or a trusted community organisation, can help if the experience is affecting your mental health. Our article on mental wellbeing for newcomers has further ideas, and our guide to finding community support in Glasgow lists places to start.

What neighbours and bystanders can do

Stronger communities are built by everyone, not just by the people being targeted, a point we explore in integration as a two-way street. If you witness hate crime:

call 999 if anyone is in danger, and do not put yourself at risk;
check on the person targeted afterwards and ask what they need;
offer to be a witness, or to go with them to a police station or Third Party Reporting Centre;
report what you saw yourself, as witnesses can report too.

If you want to raise wider concerns about hate crime or community safety in your area, you can also contact your elected representatives. Our beginner’s guide to contacting your MSP explains how.

Conclusion

If something happened to you, or you saw it happen to someone else, and you think prejudice was behind it, you can report it. In Scotland you can call 999 or 101, go to a police station, use the online form, speak to a Third Party Reporting Centre, or contact Crimestoppers anonymously. You do not need to be certain it was a crime, and support is available whether or not you decide to report. Every report helps build a clearer picture of what communities face, and a Scotland where everyone can feel safe and welcome.

Featured image: AI-generated illustration, for illustrative purposes only.

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