The police service recorded 48,127 hate crimes between January and December 2010, which compares to 51,920 crimes in 2009.
ACPO has published hate crime data today for the period of 1st January to 31st December 2010, for the five monitored forms of hate crime classifications used by the criminal justice system.
In 2010, the police recorded 48,127 crimes where the victim, or any other person, perceived the criminal offence to be motivated by hostility based on a person’s race, religious belief, sexual orientation, disability or where the victim was perceived to be transgender. This compares with 51,920 crimes in 2009.
ACPO lead on equality, diversity and human rights, Chief Constable Stephen Otter, said:
“Hate crimes cause a great deal of fear among victims and communities. We are determined to reduce the harm caused by hate crime and as a service we have listened to victims’ groups who have told us that by publishing this data, confidence in the police and the wider criminal justice system would be improved.
“The 2010 data importantly shows increases in disability and transgender hate crime. While we would obviously want to see reductions in the incidence of all hate crime, we know that these crimes have been significantly under-reported in the past. We have committed to building victims’ confidence and improving our recording practices so that more victims can access the service they deserve. We continue to build on this improvement and I would encourage anyone who is a victim of hate crime to report it to their local police or to use True Vision, our online reporting facility at www.report-it.org.uk.”
Iqbal Bhana OBE DL, Deputy Chair of the Government’s Hate Crime Advisory Group, said:
“The continued publication of this data is to be welcomed. It represents a significant step forward in our understanding of the nature and extent of hate crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The members of our advisory group come from a range of backgrounds but all recognise that the transparent reporting of hate crime is essential to give confidence to victims and communities.
“The UK is among world leaders in the way that it responds to hate crime, but there is still much work to do. One of the greatest challenges is to reduce the under-reporting of hate crime. I am particularly pleased to see the increases in disability hate crime as many tragic crimes have highlighted the need to improve services to victims. We have worked with government and ACPO to increase the reporting of such crimes, but we can not afford to let up on our efforts or be complacent. It is good to see progress but there is still a long way to go before we can be satisfied that hate crime victims are properly protected.”