Rise in hate crimes after EU Referendum, figures reveal

Rising levels of hate crime were reported by North East police forces in the aftermath of last year’s EU referendum, new analysis has shown.

The number of hate crime offences recorded by Northumbria Police between July and September 2016 was 394.

That was the highest quarterly figure since comparable records began in April 2012 and represented a 48% rise compared with April-June 2016.

For Durham, 66 offences were reported in the same period which wa a 16% rise on the previous quarter.

The figures, compiled by the Press Association, provide the first complete picture of hate crime recorded by police in England and Wales following the referendum on June 23.

They show that in the three months ending September 2016:

33 out of 44 forces recorded the highest quarterly number of hate crimes since comparable records began in April 2012;

Three forces each recorded more than 1,000 hate crimes: the Metropolitan Police (3,356), Greater Manchester (1,033) and West Yorkshire (1,013);

four forces reported a decrease on the previous three months.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said the findings suggested a small number of people used the Brexit vote “to legitimise inexcusable racism and prejudice”, while the charity Victim Support said that more needed to be done to encourage victims to come forward.

Provisional figures on hate crimes published by the Home Office in October 2016 suggested that offences in July 2016 were 41% higher than in July 2015.

The new analysis shows that a rise in incidents was seen in almost every force in England and Wales, both yearon-year and when comparing the three months either side of the referendum.