Figures show hate crime rise in 2017-18

Hate crime in England and Wales rose by nearly a fifth last year, according to police figures.

There were 94,098 offences recorded by police in 2017-18, an increase of 17% on the previous year.

This included 71,251 classed as race hate crimes; 11,638 (12%) offences triggered by sexual orientation; 8,336 (9%) where religion was a factor; 7,226 (8%) motivated because of someone’s disability; and 1,651 (2%) were transgender hate crimes.

Some offences are classed more than once because they have more than one motivation.

Data from the Home Office shows that the sharpest rise was in religious hate crime, which rose by 40% from 5,949 in 2016-17.

Hate crimes and incidents are defined as those perceived to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a personal characteristic.