Recorded hate crime surges in Nottinghamshire

Hate crimes are defined as those motivated by a prejudice or hostility towards a personal characteristic, such as race, religion, sexual orientation or gender.

Numbers across England and Wales have risen every year since records began in 2012, in part due to improvements in how police record hate crime.

The latest Home Office figures show 1,993 hate crimes were recorded by Nottinghamshire Police in the year to March, up 22 per cent from 1,635 the year before.

The highest proportion were racially-motivated, with 1,514 such offences recorded.

The 109,843 race hate crimes recorded nationally in 2021 marked the first time a single category has topped 100,000 over a year.

And despite accounting for the smallest number of crimes across all categories, offences motivated by transgender identity saw the largest increase nationally.

There were 4,355 such offences in 2021-22 – of which 70 were recorded in Nottinghamshire – a 56 per cent increase on 2,799 the year before.

The Home Office said transgender issues have been ‘heavily discussed on social media’ over the last year, which may have contributed to the rise.

Diana Fawcett, chief executive at the charity Victim Support, said: “No-one should have to endure abuse and discrimination for simply being themselves.

“Hate crime is a very personal offence which can shatter victims’ confidence and self-worth, making them feel unsafe and threatened – so any rise is seriously worrying.”

Nottinghamshire Police also recorded 324 offences on the basis of sexual orientation, 84 religious hate crimes and 108 against people with disabilities.

Ms Fawcett said increased numbers may be the product of better police awareness and incident-logging, which would be an ‘encouraging trend’.

The total number of hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales rose 26 per cent in 2021-22, from 124,104 to 155,841.

A Home Office spokesman said:“Hate crime is a scourge on communities across the country. It does not reflect the values of modern Britain.

“While the rise in cases is likely to be largely driven by improvements in police recording, these can be serious crimes and we cannot be complacent.

“We expect the police to fully investigate these hateful attacks and ensure the cowards who commit them feel the full force of the law.”