We’re here to help you identify and report anti‑social behaviour. However, we’re unable to take action where the issue is caused by reasonable, everyday behaviour—for example, young children playing outside or a neighbour closing a door without any intention to cause distress.
If the behaviour appears reasonable and isn’t directed at you, you may wish to speak calmly with the individuals involved to try to resolve the issue informally. In situations that do not meet the legal definition of anti‑social behaviour, our ability to act may be limited.
Recurring Issues
If you’re experiencing a repeated problem—three separate incidents within six months—and feel the matter hasn’t been handled appropriately, you may be eligible to request an ASB Case Review.
What is a hate crime or hate incident?
Hate crimes and hate incidents are acts of hostility or violence targeted at someone because of who they are—or who someone thinks they are. These can happen in person, to property, or online.
Hate crimes
A hate crime is any offence—such as assault or criminal damage—believed to be motivated by prejudice or hostility towards someone’s:
- Disability
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sexual orientation
- Transgender identity
If a criminal act is motivated by any of these, it is a hate crime.
Examples of hate crimes
When motivated by prejudice, the following become hate crimes:
- Assault
- Criminal damage
- Harassment
- Sexual assault
- Theft or burglary
- Fraud
- Hate mail
- Any offence motivated by hostility towards someone’s protected characteristic
Hate incidents
A hate incident is any behaviour a victim, or anyone else, believes is motivated by prejudice linked to a person’s:
- Age
- Disability
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sexual orientation
- Transgender identity
- Variations in sex characteristics
Not all hate incidents are crimes. Behaviour like bullying, name‑calling, offensive jokes or intimidation may still be recorded as hate incidents even if the law has not been broken.
Examples of hate incidents:
- Verbal abuse, slurs, name-calling
- Offensive jokes or comments
- Bullying or intimidation
- Non‑criminal harassment
- Pushing, hitting or spitting that doesn’t meet the criminal threshold
- Threats of violence
- Abusive calls, texts, messages or hate mail
- Online abuse or trolling
- Displaying discriminatory posters or materials
- Damage to property, homes, vehicles or pets
- Graffiti
- Arson
- Throwing rubbish into gardens
- Malicious complaints (e.g. about noise, parking or smells)
Details about hate crimes, including the definition, can be found within the policy on the following link - Policies, procedures and strategies directory - Hate Crime Policy | Stoke-on-Trent
You can report a hate crime to Staffordshire Police on 101 or contact Uniting Staffordshire Against Hate (USAH) on 0808 278 78 76. Alternatively, you can report online at the following link - Uniting Staffordshire Against Hate (USAH) - CANS