The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry highlighted the need for a system to allow members of the public to report hate incidents at locations other than at police stations. Recommendation 16, in particular, defines the reasoning behind this:

"That all possible steps should be taken by Police Services at local level, in consultation with Local Government and other agencies and local communities, to encourage the reporting of racist incidents and crimes. This should include the ability to report at locations other than police stations".

The aims and objectives of West Yorkshire reporting centres

Aim

• To encourage the reporting of hate incidents by providing the public with the facility to report such incidents at locations other than at police stations.

Objectives

• To empower the victims of hate crime by providing them with the facility of reporting such incidents in surroundings they are comfortable with.
• To improve the quality of service provided to victims of hate incidents.
• To improve the sharing of information between partner agencies.
• To monitor and react to reported incidents and have a proactive approach to target hot spot locations.
• Through one common reporting form, standardised data will be recorded on one electronic system, thereby assisting all agencies to evaluate the impact of hate incidents throughout West Yorkshire .
• To standardise the training delivered to the staff in the centres in all five areas.