Hate crime rises by 17 per cent

According to the figures published on Tuesday (October 16), there were 94,098 hate crimes recorded by the police in 2017/18 and this is a continuation of an upward curve, and the total hate crime figure has more than doubled since 2012/13 when there were 42,255 hate crimes recorded. 

The statistics show that there were 71,251 race hate crimes recorded in 2017/18, which accounts for 76 per cent of the total. 

There were 11, 638 (12 per cent) sexual orientation hate crimes, 8,336 (nine per cent) religious hate crimes, 7,226 (eight per cent) disability hate crimes and 1,651 (two per cent) transgender hate crimes. 

Hate crimes sometime have more than one motivator and so the figures add up to over the total amount recorded and the reflected percentage of that total. 

The rise in hate crimes recorded is believed to be partly caused by controversial events such as the EU Referendum and the 2017 terrorist attacks, as well as the fact that the police have improved their monitoring and recording of hate crimes. 

The figures were released as part of National Hate Crime Awareness Week, which runs between October 13 and October 20, and coincides with an update of the national plan for hate crime by the Home Office.  

It includes a Law Commission review into hate crime legislation and £1.5 million of new funding for support programmes set up to eradicate prejudice. 

The newly refreshed plan is aimed at all areas of hate crime: race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity and disability. 

The Law Commission review of hate crime legislation will investigate and assess how it can be improved and whether extra protected characteristics such as misogyny and age should be added. 

Additionally, the Place of Worship scheme has been extended by a further year and 45 more places of worship will be given almost £800,000 for security improvements.  

There will also be a nationwide public awareness campaign starting this autumn to educate people about hate crime and its consequences, specialist hate crime training for emergency call handlers to improve police response and antisemitism and antimuslim roundtables hosted by Home Office ministers.