Reported Hate Crimes in Wales Rise by 20%

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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Statistics provided by the Home Office have shown a sharp increase in the number of recorded hate crimes in Wales, i.e. more than 20% compared to last year. According to the official figures, the total has reached up to 2,259 in 2014-15, whereas the total reports of last year were only 1,877. However, campaigners are pointing out that sharp rise in the reported hate crimes is mostly due to better reporting since communities are now feeling more positive about coming forward to report incidents.

In his remarks, the Chair of the Hate Crime Criminal Justice Board Cymru, Mark Warrender, stated that “we welcome the increase in recorded hate crimes across the Welsh forces as a positive indicator that communities are feeling confident to report hate crime to us.” He alleged that “although initially it may seem alarming that levels have risen, this doesn’t necessarily mean that more hate crime is happening.” However, Mark stressed that “we still, however, have work to do,” explaining that “although some of the percentage increases in recorded hate crimes are significant, the actual numbers are still low, particularly for disability, transphobic and religious hate crimes.”

Moreover, a detailed overview of the hate crimes reported in Wales’ shows that the highest reported highest hate crimes were for sexual orientation, i.e. at 351, followed by disability at 202, religion at 84 and transgender at 38. The rises in hate crime and race hate crime in Wales were broadly similar to those for Wales and England taken together.