'Deeply worrying': Thousands of religious and race hate crimes recorded by West Midlands Police in a year
West Midlands Police logged thousands of religious and race hate crime offences last year, new figures show.
Police-recorded hate crime rose for the first time in three years in England and Wales, with increases in both racially and religiously motivated offences.
New figures from the Home Office show West Midlands Police recorded 8,468 hate crimes in the year to March – down 9 per cent from 9,329 the previous year.
Of those, 6,930 were racially motivated, compared to 7,466 the previous year, and 667 were religious hate crime offences, an increase from 663 the year before.
Police forces have improved how they record crime since 2014, as well as their identification of what constitutes a hate crime.
Last year 137,550 hate crime offences were logged by forces including the Metropolitan Police in the year to March, but the Home Office said a change in recording methods at the force means this is not comparable year-on-year.
Excluding the Met, there were 115,990 hate crime offences recorded across the two nations in the 12 months to March – up 2 per cent from the previous year, marking the first increase in three years.
Racially motivated hate crime rose by 6 per cent to 82,490 last year, and religious hate crime offences were up 3 per cent to 7,164 – the highest annual total on record.
Hate crimes targeted at Muslims were up by almost a fifth, with the Home Office noting a spike in these offences after the Southport murders last summer and the riots which followed.
While there was an 18 per cent drop in religious hate crimes targeted at Jewish people, the Home Office said the Met only recorded 40 per cent of all religious hate crimes targeted at Jewish people last year.
Katie Kempen, Victim Support chief executive, said the figures "reveal a deeply worrying picture" and are "stark reminders of the growing hostility many communities face".
She added: "While these figures may also reflect that more victims are coming forward, they show that too many people are still being targeted simply because of who they are.
"These aren’t just numbers, they represent real lives shattered by abuse, fear and exclusion. This must never be normalised."
She said the charity continues to witness "the devastating impact hate crime has on individuals and communities" and called for investment in victims' services.
"We urgently need long-term investment in victims’ services, stronger reporting pathways and a justice system that treats victims with dignity and respect.
"Everyone deserves to live free from hate and anyone who has experienced hate crime can contact our free 24/7 Supportline or speak to us via live chat on our website."
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "Today’s hate crime statistics show that too many people are living in fear because of who they are, what they believe, or where they come from.
"Jewish and Muslim communities continue to experience unacceptable levels of often violent hate crime, and I will not tolerate British people being targeted simply because of their religion, race, or identity."
