People with experience of being victims and tackling hate crime will be talking about their experiences at an event in Hereford, on Monday, September 14th, from 2pm until 6pm, at the Courtyard Theatre in Hereford.

The event has been organised to support West Mercia Police’s new hate crime campaign. This is aimed at increasing the reporting of offences. The theme of the campaign is ’Being you is not a crime: Hate Crime is’ and it is being used by police and other local organisations to raise awareness of hate crime across the whole of the West Mercia policing area.

The keynote speaker will be Sue Prince, the mother of a woman with learning difficulties who was murdered in a hate crime five years ago. Other speakers will include the policing lead for Herefordshire, a local councillor who has worked to challenge hate crime and a police officer with experience of investigating hate crime and as a victim of hate crime.

The drop-in event will also give local people the chance to find out more about hate crime, how to report it and the support available. Officers from the local safer neighbourhood policing team will be on hand to offer advice and discuss any issues people have.

Neville Meredith from the Herefordshire Community Safety Partnership said: "Hate crime affects the lives of so many people, and we’re grateful that we have a number of speakers who are willing to share their experience of hate crime in order to help others. Their experiences are extremely powerful and help to demonstrate the impact hate crime can have on people’s lives."

Superintendent Sue Thomas, policing lead for Herefordshire, will be one of those speaking at the event. She commented: "We know that hate crimes are underreported and we know that there are many reasons for this. No victim of hate crime should have to suffer in silence and we’re committed to giving victims the confidence to come forward to report their ordeal. If you report a hate crime to us we will listen, we will respond and we will do everything we can to take positive action to deal with your concern."