Headshot of photo of Andrew in front of windows with a multi-coloured bubble design on

"We stand united with National Hate Crime Awareness Week in saying no to hate. We understand the terrible and often long-lasting impact that hate crime can have on people, both through our hate crime support services in Greenwich and Croydon, and more widely through the communities we serve and are a part of as a leading equalities charity. We are proud to be supporting their vital work in raising awareness by amplifying their message and providing space for the campaign to mobilise from at our New Cross centre in Lewisham.", Andrew Evans, CEO.

Hate Crime statistics for England and Wales, released by the Home Office yesterday show that the number of reported hate crimes continues to increase year-on-year.

"Although some of the increase in hate crimes recorded by the police might be the result of an increase of trust in the police and awareness around reporting hate incidents, it is very likely that these figures do sadly show that hate crimes are still increasing in our communities.", Mark Healey, Croydon Hate Crime Officer: LGBTQ+ and Disability.

In year the ending March 2022, there were 155,841 hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, a 26% increase compared with the previous year, this was the biggest percentage increase in hate crimes since year ending March 2017, when there was a 29% rise.

Breaking down the figures further for the year ending March 2022:

  • the majority of hate crimes were racially motivated, accounting for over two-thirds of all such offences (70%; 109,843 offences); racially motivated hate crimes increased by 19 per cent between year ending March 2021 and year ending March 2022
  • religious hate crimes increased by 37% (to 8,730 offences), up from 6,383 in the previous year; this was the highest number of religious hate crimes recorded since the time series began in year ending March 2012
  • sexual orientation hate crimes increased by 41% (to 26,152)
  • disability hate crimes increased by 43% (to 14,242)
  • transgender identity hate crimes increased by 56% (to 4,355)
  • over half (51%) of the hate crimes recorded by the police were for public order offences and a 41% were for violence against the person offences; five per cent were recorded as criminal damage and arson offences

You can find the full report on gov.uk.

Find out more about our LGBTQ+ hate crime services in Greenwich and Croydon, and our support for disabled people in Greenwich who experience hate crime through METRO GAD.

To find out more, including free downloadable resources, and to see what events you can attend, visit nationalhcaw.uk.