Buckinghamshire Hate Crime Survey

6 January 2012, 05:00

247 people in Buckinghamshire told police they had been a victim of hate crime last year.

Councillors want to find out if people reported it and, if they did, what kind of support they got. So far around 300 people have taken part.

Hate crime, a hatred of someone's race, religion, disability, faith or sexual orientation, can include things like verbal and physical abuse as well as bullying at school or work.

Margaret Aston, Cabinet Spokesman for Localities Working, says it has the capacity to ruin lives.

"The valuable feedback we receive from our residents will help us to improve the support we offer hate crime victims.

"It will give us an opportunity to see if there is anything we can do differently in the future to support victims."

The survey is completely anonymous and all information is treated confidentially.

It's open until January 6, 2012, and is available at here.