Gay and trans hate crimes rising fast
SOCIETY: Hate crimes directed at gay, lesbian and transgender people rose more than any other type of discrimination last year, figures have revealed.
A report showed reports of hate crime rose by eight per cent in the year ending March 2020, but homophobic and transphobic- associated crimes saw spikes of 19 and 16 per cent.
HATE CRIMES directed at gay, lesbian and transgender people rose more than any other type of discrimination last year, figures have revealed.
A report published by the Home Office yesterday showed reports of hate crime in England and Wales rose by eight per cent in the year ending March 2020, but homophobic and transphobicassociated crimes saw spikes of 19 and 16 per cent respectively.
Racist crimes remain the biggest issue, with 72,070 raciallymotivated crimes reported to police forces last year equating to 72 per cent of all hate crime. Racial hate crimes also rose by six per cent from the year before with local statistics showing victims as young as two years old.
Hate crimes against those with disabilities also rose by nine per cent, while religious hate crimes fell for the first time since 2012 by five per cent.
The figures, which exclude data from Greater Manchester Police, show there were 15,835 hate crimes motivated by a person’s sexuality and 2,540 based on a person’s gender identity. There were also 8,469 crimes against people with disabilities last year and 6,822 against people based on their perceived faith.
Over half ( 53 per cent) of all hate crimes recorded were public order offences, such as people using threatening language, while more than a third ( 38 per cent) involved violence.
Five per cent of hate crimes were classed as criminal damage, such as racist graffiti or vandalism at places of worship.
There is no regional breakdown for the figures, but Freedom of Information data provides insight into hate crime statistics in Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire Police recorded 139 crimes which were homophobic or transphobic, 65 disability crimes last financial year. The same force charged 43 people over hate crimes in the period.
West Yorkshire Police recorded 7,923 racial hate crimes between July last year and April this year, with victims aged between two and 81.
Humberside Police recorded 1,615 hate crimes in the calendar year 2019, of which 65 per cent were based on race, 17 per cent were homophobic, 4.2 per cent transphobic and 8.2 per cent against those with disabilities.
No recent data was available from South Yorkshire Police.
Rose Simkins, CEO of national charity Stop Hate UK which is based in Leeds, said that the rising figures were a combination of a rise in crimes and a rise in people coming forward to report them.
“What we know from talking to people is that many are still not reporting these crimes,” she said.
“These figures are not the full picture. Some people call us and say they don’t want to go to the police or think they will be too busy to deal with it. A lot of people are still suffering in silence.
“We want everyone to be reporting hate crimes, even if they believe nothing can or will be done, because if anything it helps us to understand the extent of the problem.”
It comes as this week marked Hate Crime Awareness Week, with campaigning to encourage more victims to report incidents to police.
West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns- Williamson said: “We will not tolerate fear and hostility or allow them to be used as reasons to divide our communities and demonise others.
“Covid- 19 has also had a major impact on all our lives but we cannot allow it to divide us as we know our diversity is one of our greatest strength, something that we will continue to celebrate.”
These figures are not the full picture – many are not reporting these crimes. Rose Simkins, CEO of Stop Hate UK.