Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rise in hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales in the last five years, and the implications for community cohesion of such a rise; and what steps they will take to counter this trend.

Police recorded hate crime has more than doubled over the period 2012/13 to 2017/18. This increase is thought to be driven largely by general improvements by the police in how they record crime, as well as better identification of hate crimes, willingness of victims to come forward, and a genuine increase in these offences around certain events. Better recording is an important part of how to tackle hate crime and support victims.

The independent Crime Survey of England and Wales meanwhile shows a welcomed downward trend in the actual incidence of hate crime. Latest data shows a 40% reduction between the combined 2007/08 to 2008/09 and combined 2015/16 to 2017/18 surveys.

However, this Government recognises that there is no room for complacency given the impact of hate crimes on victims, their families and wider communities. The Hate Crime Action Plan refresh published in October 2018 sets out a comprehensive plan for tackling the issue. This includes work under 5 key themes: preventing hate crime by challenging beliefs and attitudes; responding to hate crime within our communities; increasing the reporting of hate crime; improving support for victims of hate crime; and building our understanding of hate crime.