Hate crimes are soaring in county
1,600 crimes recorded across the county
HATE crimes have soared in Leicestershire in the last year - with four offences recorded every day.
Figures released by the Home Office have revealed that there were 1,600 hate crimes recorded across Leicestershire in 2018/19.
That’s up by 11 per cent from 1,437 the year before.
The Home Office said the increase was partly due to improvements in the recording of hate crimes by the police - but also admitted that events such as the EU referendum had played a role in the spike.
The Liberal Democrats said the “toxic political atmosphere” had fuelled the rise.
The increase has been seen across most kinds of hate crime.
Race remained the most common motivating factor, with 1,217 racially motivated crimes in 2018/19, up eight per cent from 1,130 a year before. It is a factor in three out of four hate crimes.
Crimes against transgender people saw the sharpest percentage increase, more than doubling from 16 in 2017/18 to 33 in 2018/19.
Hate crimes based on a person’s sexual orientation also soared, up 46 per cent from 142 to 207.
There were also 91 hate crimes against transgender people (up 38 per cent from 66) and 142 hate crimes based on a victim’s religion (although this was down 27 per cent from 195).
The sum of types of hate crime is greater than the total number of crimes, as a single crime might have more than one motivating factor.
The Home Office report on the figures said: “While increases in hate crime over the last five years have been mainly driven by improvements in crime recording by the police, there has been spikes in hate crime following certain events such as the EU Referendum and the terrorist attacks in 2017.”
Laura Russell, Stonewall’s Director of Campaigns, Policy and Research, said: “As worrying statistics like this demonstrate, lesbian, gay, bi and trans people still face hatred simply because of who they are.
“While it is possible that the increase is due to higher confidence in reporting, these figures are still likely to only represent the tip of the iceberg when it comes to hate crimes against LGBT people. From our research into hate crime, we know that four in five anti-LGBT hate crimes go unreported, with younger people particularly reluctant to go to the police.
“We have long been concerned about the impact debates on LGBT-inclusive education and trans equality in the media, online and in the streets would have on our community.
“The significant rise in hate crimes against trans people shows the consequences of a society where transphobia is everywhere.
“We are still not living in a society where every LGBT person is free to be themselves and live without fear of discrimination and abuse.
“Stonewall would encourage anyone who’s experienced a hate crime to report it, and we’re working with police services to help LGBT people feel more confident to do so.
“We also need consistency across sentencing, ensuring that anti-LGBT offences are treated as seriously as other hate crimes.
“But we all have a part to play in making our society more accepting. Now more than ever, it is time for everyone who cares about equality to stand together as one united community to ensure everyone is free to be themselves.”
Rebecca Hilsenrath, Chief Executive of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said: “No one should be attacked or harassed because of their race, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or beliefs.”