Harassment

If someone is making you feel distressed, humiliated, intimidated, threatened or fearful of violence, then this could be harassment. 

The person or people harassing you could be someone you know, a neighbour, someone from your local community or a complete stranger. 

Actions considered harassment may include: 

• unwanted phone calls, letters or emails 
• unwanted visits 
• stalking 
• verbal abuse of any kind, including on social media 
• threats 
• damage to property 
• bodily harm. 

Harassment can also be a hate crime.

Find out more about hate crime

Report it to the police 

If the harassment has just happened, is currently ongoing, or you're in immediate danger: 

• call 999. 

If it's not an emergency: 

• call 101, or
• report it online at www.leics.police.uk

Tell us 

Once you've reported it to the police, please contact us with the incident report number and the officer’s name so we can make contact with them and offer you help and support. We'll agree the next steps with you and the police. 

Contact us on 0300 1234 009 or complete our online form.

Record what's happening 

If the behaviour has been ongoing, please complete a diary sheet with dates and times of the incidents and send these to us. Please download our diary sheet, complete it and email it to us at enquiries@midlandsrural.org.uk 

If a person sends threatening, abusive or grossly offensive messages to another person via any social networking site, they could be committing an offence. 

The most relevant offences are ‘harassment’ and ‘malicious communications’. 

People are allowed to voice their opinions on social media. Just because you don’t agree with an opinion (particularly where it is about you personally) does not mean this is anti-social behaviour or a crime, or that the police can take action.

However, there is a difference between someone being rude, argumentative or having a different point of view, and you receiving threats or targeted abuse. 

Steps you can take 

Depending on the circumstances and the nature of the messages, you may wish to deal with this yourself by: 

• ‘unfriending’, ‘blocking’ or ‘unfollowing’ the person so that you don't have any further contact with them 
• reporting them to the relevant social network, which may be able to remove the content and/or close down the person’s account 
• review your security and other settings - there's lot of advice on the National Cyber Security Centre's website. 

Record and report it 

If you've received any threatening, abusive or offensive messages via social media, and believe that an offence may have been committed, you should report it to the police on their non-emergency number 101. 

Take a screen shot of the messages, so that if they're later deleted  you will still have a record of what was said. 

Don’t respond to the message, or get someone to speak to them on your behalf, it may only encourage the sender or make the situation worse.