Hate crime incidents reported to police have reduced following a spike after the EU referendum.

These original returns have now been updated to include the late reporting of incidents occurring between June 16 - 30 2016 and show 3192 hate crimes were reported to police forces across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The latest returns from July 1 – 14 2016 show 3001 hate crimes and incidents.  This is a decrease of 191 offences (6 per cent) on the previous fortnight but it is a 20 per cent increase on the equivalent period in 2015. 

As with the previous two week period, the main type of offence seen during this period is violence against the person, which is primarily harassment, common assault and other violence (verbal abuse, spitting and ‘barging’). The second and third most prevalent incidents were public order offences, followed by criminal damage.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Hate Crime, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said:

“Following increases in hate crime seen after the EU referendum, police forces have been taking a robust approach to these crimes and we are pleased to see the numbers of incidents have begun to fall. 

“Clearly any hate crime is unacceptable and these numbers are still far too high.  We remain committed to helping  people feel safe and secure about being themselves as they go about their lives so police officers will continue to be out around the country engaging with communities and picking up and dealing with tensions and problems.”

Victims and those feeling vulnerable should report any incident of hate crime to the police on 101 or using our True Vision website (www.report-it.org.uk). You can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always dial 999.