Seven volunteer Hate Crime Champions are now available at five council buildings across Hartlepool, giving residents another way to report incidents and find support in familiar public places.

Hartlepool Borough Council announced the service on 12 October. The volunteers carry out the role alongside their main jobs. The council says they will help people recognise hate crime, take reports and offer support to those affected.

Where people can find support

Champions are based at Hartlepool Civic Centre; Community Hub Central on York Road; Community Hub South on Wynyard Road; Headland Hub on Middlegate; and Seaton Hub on Station Lane in Seaton Carew.

The arrangement gives people a face-to-face alternative if they do not feel comfortable approaching the police first. It also places the support in buildings used for other council and community services, although the council’s announcement does not give individual names, duty times or a rota. Anyone planning a visit should check the building’s current opening hours before travelling.

That local access matters because a person may want advice before deciding what to do next, or may need help putting an experience into words. By using several sites rather than a single office, the council is offering routes in the town centre, the Headland and Seaton Carew as well as the south of the borough.

What can be reported

A hate crime is an offence to be motivated by hostility or prejudice linked to race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity. The council says incidents may include threats, verbal abuse, assault, robbery, damage to property, graffiti, harassment, exploitation or incitement.

The new volunteers are not described as investigators or an emergency response. Their practical value is as a first point of contact: someone who can listen, record what has happened and help a resident understand the routes available to them.

The launch falls during National Hate Crime Awareness Week, which runs from 10 to 17 October 2026. The week is coordinated by the charity 17-24-30 NationalHCAW and encourages councils, police, charities and communities to work together against all forms of hate crime.

How to report an incident

People can still report directly to Cleveland Police. The council advises calling 101 for a non-emergency, while 999 should be used when there is immediate danger, violence is being used or threatened, or a crime is happening. Reports can also be made through Cleveland Police’s online hate crime service.

Hartlepool also has third-party reporting centres for people who would rather speak to an organisation other than the police. The council maintains a current list of those locations. Cleveland Police’s guidance also points people towards support organisations, including Crimestoppers, Tell MAMA, the Community Security Trust and Galop, depending on the circumstances.

Councillor Amanda Napper, chair of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Neighbourhoods and Services Committee, said the aim was to make reporting easier and help residents feel supported. The council has not published details of the volunteers’ training provider or the hours when a champion will be present at each site, so the service should be treated as an additional reporting route rather than a round-the-clock facility.

Residents can find the council’s list of third-party reporting centres on its website. In an emergency, the quickest route remains 999.