Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to improve how hate crime against Sikhs and Hindus is recorded.

Hate crime directed at Sikhs and Hindus is completely unacceptable. We expect the police to record and investigate these offences thoroughly and take appropriate action against those responsible.

Police record religious hate crime according to the religion perceived to have been targeted by the offender. This ensures that the motivation for the offence is captured, including where an offender incorrectly assumes a victim's religion. Hindu and Sikh are separately identifiable categories within the data collected from police forces.

We recognise the importance of ensuring that hate crime is accurately identified and reported. The Government continues to work with policing and community partners to understand barriers to reporting and gaps in the evidence base, including the experiences of different faith communities.