Sharp Rise In Hate Crimes As PM Offers Action

In a separate development, official figures published on Tuesday showed hate crime reported to the police jumped by almost a fifth a year ago to more than 52,000 incidents.

The Home Office denied that the Gaza conflict was a factor in this spike, noting in its report that there was “a rise in racially or religiously aggravated offences in July 2014 followed by a fall in August, suggesting little effect of the conflict in Israel and Gaza in July/August 2014”.

Religious hate crime increased by 50% in London a year ago.

Members of ethnic minority groups in North Yorkshire are reluctant to report hate crime and racist abuse because of concerns about “historical racism in policing”, a report has warned.

“Although a few of the percentage increases in recorded hate crimes are significant, the actual numbers are still low, particularly for disability, transphobic and religious hate crimes”.

While there’s not much statistical information available, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in 2013, 13.7 percent of the victims of all reported anti-religious hate crimes were Muslim.

More than four out of every five of those crimes were related to race.

People can report hate crimes by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency, or via the Cambridgeshire Constabulary website.

Southern Area Command Communities Chief Inspector Sarah Pitt said: “Being targeted due to characteristics such as race, faith, religion, gender, disability, gender identify, age or sexual orientation is a specific crime”.

Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick said: “Hate crime means a crime that is perpetrated against someone because of who they are and what they are”.

DAVID Cameron will today announce that he wants to build a “national coalition” against extremism and hate crime in Britain at the first Community Engagement Forum to be held in Downing Street.

Both groups joined forces this week with North Somerset Council this week to spread awareness of the impact hate crimes have on their victims.

A few of the respondees who took part in the survey said victims of racist abuse 20 years ago still kept their feelings on the subject quiet and “kept themselves to themselves” to avoid any further crime.

However, it was noted this may not be a reflection of an increase in crime, but more a willingness for victims to come forward as public awareness of hate crime improves.

“Clearly this message is getting through as these figures reflect. People always say Muslims isolate themselves… but actually it is others who don’t want to mix with us”.

Cameron has said in recent speeches he will clamp down on intolerance and the meeting is certain to focus on the roots of extremism, as well as the role Muslim communities can play in countering the roots of a terrorist threat.

“However, behind increased reporting there is an underlying trend which shows that hate crime in all its forms is increasing”.