Harrassment & intimidation

Harassment, Intimidation & Verbal Abuse 

Report Criminal Behaviour 

If someone is harassing, threatening, or intimidating you and the behaviour is criminal—you should report it to the police immediately. 

In an emergency, call 999.

For non-emergencies, call 101 or use the police’s online reporting service. 

Let the police know if you’re worried about your safety or the safety of others. 

Let Us Know 

Once you’ve reported the incident to the police, please contact us with: 

> A brief description of what happened 

> The police incident number 

> The name of the officer dealing with the case (if known) 

We’ll review the information and let you know if we’re able to take further action. 

Want to Report Anonymously? 

You can report criminal behaviour anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers: 

Visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org  or call 0800 555 111 

Keep a Record 

If the behaviour is ongoing, please complete our Incident Log Sheet with: 

> Dates and times of each incident 

> What happened 

> How it affected you 

You can send the log to us by post, by hand, or attach it electronically to an email. 

Social Media Issues 

People are allowed to express their opinions online, just as they are in person. If someone posts something you don’t agree with even if it’s about you it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s anti-social behaviour or a crime. 

However, there’s a difference between someone being rude or disagreeing with you, and someone sending threats or targeted abuse. 

What You Can Do 

Depending on the situation, you might want to: 

> Unfriend, block, or unfollow the person 

> Report the content to the social media platform (most have help pages for this) 

> Adjust your privacy settings to limit contact 

Social media platforms can sometimes remove harmful content or close accounts if rules are broken. They also offer advice for parents on keeping young people safe online. 

If It’s Criminal 

If someone sends threatening, abusive, or grossly offensive messages via Facebook, Twitter, or any other platform, they may be committing a crime—such as harassment or malicious communications. 

If you believe a crime has been committed: 

> Report it to the police on 101 

> Do not respond to the message; it may make things worse 

> Take a screenshot of the message in case it’s deleted later 

Once you’ve contacted the police, please let us know with the incident details.