VICTIMS and witnesses of hate crime have another place as well as the police station where they can go to lodge a complaint.

Breightmet UCAN Centre in New Lane, Breightmet, was set up as the borough’s 16th third party reporting centre as part of a Hate Crime Awareness Week.

It means staff have been trained to handle reports of hate crime and will provide a safe and secure place for people to discuss concerns.

Inspector Sarah May said: “The number of hate crimes recorded in Bolton fell in the last 12 months by 10 per cent, but this is only good news if it is a true reflection of the hate crime problem in Bolton.

“My concern is that victims are not reporting incidents to police.

“Hate Crime Awareness Week is just one of the many initiatives that GMP and our partners use to promote the reporting of hate crime.

“It is really important that all crime is reported to the police so that we can focus our resources to the greatest effect.”