Hate Crime in Wiltshire remains lower than the national figure

Home Office hate crime figures show Wiltshire in a favourable light compared to other parts of the country.

The figures have been released during Hate Crime Awareness Week, which runs until Saturday, 17 October.

The week raises awareness of those who are targeted because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or disability, and aims to encourage more people to come forward to report hate crime as a victim or witness. 

A total of 724 hate crimes were reported in Swindon and Wiltshire between April 2019 and March 2020, compared to 676 the previous year in 2018/19.

This is a 7.1 percent increase in overall hate crime in the county, which is below the national increase of 8 percent and represents 1.5 percent of all reported crimes in the whole of Wiltshire and Swindon.  

Superintendent Dave Minty, force lead for Hate Crime, said: “We have seen a slight increase in hate crime figures for the county. 

"As a force we take all reports of hate crime seriously and encourage and actively promote reporting. This increase tells us that more people are having the confidence to come forward.

“Hate crime can be extremely frightening, distressing and isolating for an individual or family and no one should have to suffer like this.

 

 

 

“I want people to feel safe to live in or visit Wiltshire.  We will respond robustly to anyone committing these crimes, scrutinise how we investigate hate crime so we can improve the quality of our investigations, and continue to encourage anyone who experiences a hate crime to report it.”

Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon Angus Macpherson said: “No one should feel threatened or unsafe because of who they are, the life they live or the beliefs they hold. 

"Everyone deserves to be able to live their life peacefully and safely without being subject to hate crime. 

“More than ever now, we need to be a community. 

“We need to support each other, recognise and celebrate our individuality and diversity, and as individuals, towns and communities, stand up against those who seek to hurt, discriminate and victimise others by continuing to report hate crime if we see or experience it.”

Racial hate crime remains the most frequent of all reported hate crimes in Wiltshire and Swindon, rising by 14 from 493 reported crimes to 507 in 2019/2020. 

Disability hate risen from 61 to 78, transgender identity hate crime from 27 to 37, sexual orientation hate crime from 93 to 103 and religious hate crime from 26 to 39.

Hate Crime can be reported by calling 999 in an emergency, calling 101 otherwise or visiting www.wiltshire.police.uk

Hate crime can be reported anonymously through the True Vision website - https://www.report-it.org.uk/home - or by calling CrimeStoppers 0800 555 111.