Community and neighbourhood issues

A hate crime is any criminal offence that is motivated by hostility or prejudice based on the victim's:

• disability
• race
• religion or belief
• sexual orientation
• transgender.

We believe that there is no excuse for any form of hate crime: it is simply not acceptable and it will not be tolerated.

When it does happen, we want the justice system to deal with such crimes effectively so that victims have the confidence to report it, secure in the knowledge that they will receive a good level of service from the police and other agencies.

Disability hate crime

A crime becomes a disability hate crime when it is 'perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by malice or ill will based on a persons disability or perceived disability'.

Anyone can commit a disability hate crime.

They can be a:

• young person who shout abuse when a disabled person walks by
• carer who takes advantage of a disabled person by taking their money
• student who bullies another disabled student
• retired person who harasses their disabled neighbour because they have a disabled parking bay.

Mate crime

There are also some people who might make friends with a disabled person so that they can take advantage of them. 

They use their friendship to cover the fact that they are committing crimes at the disabled person's expense. Some disability organisations call this 'mate crime'. 

'Mate' covers a wide number of people including friends, family and carers. 

Sometimes the exploitation may not be an illegal act but still has a negative effect on the individual.

Why you should report it

It is important that all hate crimes are reported to the police. It helps Strathclyde Police in tackling hate crime. 

Challenging these people can stop this from happening to someone else.

Anyone can report a hate crime - whether they are: 

• the victim
• someone who witnesses a hate crime
• someone the victim or witness tells about a crime. 

No matter how trivial or unimportant you think it is, your complaint will be taken seriously when you choose to report it.

The information you provide is valuable because it helps the police to identify areas of concern or patterns of behaviour and could lead to the prosecution of offenders.

How to report hate crime

You can report a hate crime to the police:

• in person at a police station or speak to police on the street
• by phone - call 101 for non-emergencies or 999 if it's an emergency
• online on the Police Scotland (Poileas Alba) website
• in a third party reporting centre such as a library.

You do not need to know the victim or give their name when reporting a disability hate crime.

Mediation can help you resolve disputes with your neighbours. 

It helps you make practical agreements that work for both you and your neighbour.

The mediation process gives you a way to reach agreement with your neighbour and provides a safe environment for you to discuss your concerns.

Mediation needs you and your neighbour to be willing to talk and find a solution.

Mediation is an equal process so that everyone is treated fairly. Each person is listened to and gets the chance to hear the other person's point of view.

If both you and your neighbour agree to mediation, we'll arrange either joint mediation or shuttle mediation.

Joint mediation

Our Mediation Officers will meet you and your neighbour together at a neutral venue.

At the meeting, the mediation officer will help you and your neighbour share information and hopefully reach a solution.

Shuttle mediation

If appropriate, the mediation officers will arrange shuttle mediation instead of joint mediation.

This is where we help you and your neighbour exchange information without having to meet each other. 

The mediation officer will communicate between you and your neighbour to help resolve the situation.

Mediation for noise issues

Sometimes neighbours are unaware that the noise from their home is causing an issue.

We can work with you and your neighbours to find a level of volume for television, music or games equipment that is acceptable to both of you. 

We may ask our Noise Enforcement Team to help us. They can measure the noise level at each property to see if it's above or below the permitted level for the time of day.

We will not decide what level of noise is acceptable, you and your neighbour will need to agree this.

For noise issues with dog barking, children, burglar alarms, industrial or commercial noise, see our noise nuisance page.

For concerns about shouting, swearing, fighting or verbal abuse, see our antisocial behaviour page.

If you would like us to mediate for you:

• call us on 0300 300 0380
• select option 1
• ask for Mediation

You can also email our Renfrewshire Community Safety Partnership team at rcsp@renfrewshire.gov.uk. 

One of our Mediation Service Team will contact you as soon as possible. We'll contact you to arrange a suitable appointment at your home.

We'll listen to your view of the situation, ask you what you would like for the future and discuss how we can help.

If we think mediation is right for you and you agree to proceed, we'll contact your neighbour.

If they are also willing to try mediation, we'll arrange an appointment to visit them at their home. 

If you and your neighbour do not reach an agreement following mediation, you can get advice from Citizens Advice Scotland about neighbour disputes, including noise, antisocial behaviour, boundary and garden disputes or damage and repairs.

The service is free, and our mediation officers are specially trained and impartial.