HELENSBURGH'S warm and friendly welcome is widely seen as one of the town's key assets – but that doesn't mean local people should be complacent about hate crime.

So says the chair of the area's crime prevention panel as police in Argyll and West Dunbartonshire launched a week-long campaign to highlight the impact hate crime can have on victims.

People living throughout the area are being asked to play their part in eradicating hate crime by speaking up and reporting offences.

Local councillor Vivien Dance, who leads the crime prevention panel for the Helensburgh and Lomond area, said: “I hope people respond and support this week long initiative from Police Scotland and come forward to report what is totally unacceptable behaviour.  

“To live as a community we have to respect and be tolerant of people with different backgrounds and views and thankfully we have come a long way in this regard in recent years.

“I know that Helensburgh is a welcoming place and hate crime reporting is rare in our community but we can all help to ensure that such behaviour is not given a foothold here. “

'Hate crime' is defined as a crime perceived as being motivated by malice or ill will towards an individual or particular social group, on the basis of their actual or presumed sexual orientation, transgender identity, disability, race/ ethnicity or religion/ beliefs.

Despite Scotland's pride in its diverse and multi-cultural population, on average around 6,000 people are victims of hate crime every year.

Chief Superintendent Barry McEwan, head of safer communities at Police Scotland, said: “There are a number of reasons why people don’t report incidents of hate crime, including the ‘normalisation’ of this kind of behaviour. However, I am very clear when I say this behaviour is not normal or acceptable and it will not be tolerated.

“One of the key aims of this campaign is to highlight what is a hate crime and to increase confidence in reporting these incidents. Under-reporting contributes to inequality and intolerance and we are determined to address this. Ignoring the problem can often make it worse.

“Hate crime is a key priority for Police Scotland. The deep personal impact it can have on victims, their family and friends, as well as on entire communities cannot be underestimated.”

Michael Matheson MSP, Scotland's cabinet secretary for justice, said: “There is no place in Scotland for any crime motivated by prejudice, be it racial, religious, homophobic or any other form of intolerance.

"I want every victim of such crimes to be willing to come forward and work with the police to ensure the perpetrators can be pursued and punished appropriately. “

Hate crime can be reported at any police station or via 101.

If you've been a victim of a hate crime you can also alert the authorities at any one of more than 400 'third party reporting centres' across Scotland.

Only two of these are located in Argyll and Bute – one in Dunoon and the other in Oban – but there are several in West Dunbartonshire, including the Re-Assurance project in Dumbarton (tel 01389 772200), West Dunbartonshire Council (01389 737198 or 01389 608181), and the Leven Valley Enterprise Centre (tel 01389 778822).