To mark National Hate Crime Awareness Week (October 9-16), Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has teamed up with some partners to highlight the importance of communities working together to tackle the issue.

GMP has created a video in partnership with the British Muslim Heritage Centre, The Challenging Hate Crime Forum, Bury Faith Forum and Board of Deputies of British Jews, which contains a montage of clips discussing the importance of this week.

As part of the force's commitment to tackle hate crimes, they have launched a project called Affinity in partnership with Mother Mountain Productions. The project sees frontline officers wearing a virtual reality headset to gain cutting-edge, victim focused training on hate crimes.

According to statistics released by the Home Office this week, the number of hate crimes being recorded by police in England and Wales are at the highest level on record. Over 124,000 hate crimes were recorded between March 2020 and March 2021, as the pandemic saw an increase in this sort of crime.

Chief Superintendent Rick Jackson, Greater Manchester Police’s tactical lead on hate crime, said: "The impact of hate crime on victims can be huge and long-lasting.

"It can leave them feeling isolated, vulnerable, afraid and understandably – angry.

"As we, alongside our partners, mark National Hate Crime Awareness Week, I hope that victims of hate crime feel assured not only that they can feel confident coming forward to the police to report a hate crime, but that that report will be taken seriously and they will be given the correct support moving forward.

"That is how we show that hate crime is not accepted in Greater Manchester and that offenders will be brought to justice."

If you've been a victim or a witness to a hate crime, call GMP on '101' or visit www.gmvictims.org.uk to report an incident or receive help and support. If it’s an emergency and you are in immediate danger, always dial 999.