Hate crime reporting hubs open at faith centres in Peterborough
Volunteers have been trained to help people report abuse and access support
New places to report hate crime have opened at mosques and other faith centres across Peterborough.
Cambridgeshire Police says there were 580 recorded hate crime incidents in the city between August 2025 and August 2026.
The hubs are staffed by trained volunteers who can help victims report abuse online and find support.
They were set up after different faith groups were contacted last year to identify people willing to act as nominated contacts in their communities.
Community leader Faisal Mahmood says the aim is to make reporting easier for people who may otherwise give up.
He said: “Sometimes it is going to take ten minutes and they give up on it. What we are trying to do is encourage people to report.
“One of the things people say is, if we report it, nothing is going to happen. What we are trying to educate people is if you do not report it, then nothing will definitely happen.
“The police cannot put resources into places where they have no statistics showing there is actually an issue.”
Faisal says concerns grew after someone went into another mosque early one morning and made abusive comments.
He added: “Once that was reported, we thought we should really do something, otherwise it could just get worse.”