A NEW campaign highlighting hate crime has been launched in Keighley, Bradford and neighbouring police districts.

The campaign, jointly run by West Yorkshire Police and the region's Police and Crime Commissioner, coincides with the national Hate Crime Awareness Week, which started last Saturday (Oct 11) to give people a better understanding of what hate crime is and what they can do about it.

A new online reporting system is being introduced by the force to encourage victims and witnesses to report hate incidents, whether verbal, physical or on social media.

Mark Burns-Williamson, the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire, said: "Raising awareness of hate crime and how to report it is a key priority in the Police and Crime Plan.

"I want victims and witnesses of hate crime to feel able to come forward and report it to individuals and organisations they trust, because it is not acceptable in any form.

"We all have a responsibility to challenge the attitudes and behaviours that foster hatred, because early intervention and education can make a real difference to communities ensuring they are safer and feel safer."

Assistant chief constable Andy Battle said: "Hate crime takes many forms, including verbal abuse, harassment, threats, intimidation, physical abuse and vandalism.

"It can have both a devastating effect on a single victim but also the potential to divide communities."

Anyone with information about a hate incident is asked to report it either by calling 999 in an emergency or 101 in a non-emergency, online at westyorkshire.police.uk/hatecrime,report-it.org.uk or in person at a police station.