The U.S. Attorney’s office and the attorney general’s office are teaming up to hold a series of forums focused on preventing hate crimes and bias incidents.

The first forum will be held Thursday, Feb. 9, in Manchester. The hate crime forums are designed to engage local and federal law enforcement, advocacy groups and community members in discussions about preventing and responding to hate crimes in New Hampshire, according to both offices.

The goal of the forums, said U.S. Attorney Jane Young, is “to share ideas, best practices and resources to prevent and respond to bias incidents and hate crime” in “a safe space to discuss questions and challenges” when confronting hate and bias incidents.

“We need a whole community approach to truly be successful in our fight against bias and hate,” said Attorney General John Formella, adding that preventing hate crimes is a top priority for law enforcement in the state.

He added that “these forum conversations are aimed at building bridges across diverse sectors of our Granite State communities. These will be crucial conversations as we work collectively to keep New Hampshire safe and welcoming for people of all backgrounds.”

The first forum — which will feature a panel of law enforcement experts discussing hate crime laws, a panel of community leaders talking about the challenges they face and a session for community members to ask questions and share resources — will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Michael Briggs Community Center, 409 Beech St., Manchester.

Among the presenters at the first forum will be representatives of the NH Human Rights Commission, Jewish Federation of New Hampshire, the Manchester branch of the NAACP, New Hampshire Council of Churches and the IQRA Islamic Society of Greater Concord.

For more information or to register, contact Katie Desrochers by Feb. 6, at 603-230-2518 or kathryn.desrochers@usdoj.gov.