North East residents can now report hate crimes to specially trained Newcastle United Foundation staff.
The Foundation's NUCASTLE hub is now recognised as a Safe Reporting Centre.
13 Foundation staff are now equipped to record hate crime, an offence targeting a person or group due to prejudice regarding race, religion, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
Sophie Pattison, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator at Newcastle United Foundation said: "NUCASTLE is established as a safe and welcoming space for the community so becoming a Safe Reporting Centre with Northumbria Police is a natural step for us to take.
“It is also important to remember that hate crime isn’t always physical – it can be a number of incidents including name-calling, threats or harassment, bullying, damage to your property or being spat at."
Superintendent Scott Cowie, Northumbria Police’s lead for hate crime said: “It's fantastic that NUCASTLE is now a Safe Reporting Space, providing a further location for victims to report incidents of this nature."
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