Data on hate crimes recorded in Cumbria has been revealed. A hate crime is categorised by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as follows;
“Any criminal offence which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice, based on a person’s disability or perceived disability; race or perceived race; or religion or perceived religion; or sexual orientation or perceived sexual orientation or transgender identity or perceived transgender identity.”
It is important to remember that hate crimes not only impact the individual but the wider community. Hate incidents as one-offs or a related series of events can send reverberations and can reinforce established patterns of racism, prejudice and discrimination.
The latest Home Office stats show 873 hate crimes were recorded by Cumbria police in the year to March 2022 – a 28 per cent increase from 681 the year before.
|
Cumbria Recorded Hate Crimes |
Race/Ethnicity
487 |
Religious
27 |
Sexual Orientation
188 |
Disability
155 |
Transgender
48 |
Total
873 |
The same trends were reflected across the rest of England and Wales, the highest proportion of these crimes were racially-motivated. The 109,843 race hate crimes recorded nationally in 2021 marked the first time a single category topped 100,000 over a year. The figures nationally also highlighted that Muslim people are substantially more likely to be targeted due to their religious beliefs (3,559 nationally recorded hate crimes) followed by Jewish people (1,919 nationally recorded hate crimes).
Janett Walker our Co-Founder & CEO of Anti Racist Cumbria, said:
“This is a complex issue as increasing numbers can reflect a true rise in crimes being committed, and there will have been some undisputed spikes last year; for example, the heightened overt racism following the men’s Euros. Conversely, rising figures can be a sign of increased confidence as victims feel more willing to come forward, or even a reflection of the police improving their methods of recording. Either way the sad fact is that a person’s ‘race’ or ethnicity remains the most common motivation for committing a hate crime in Cumbria and this fact alone evidences the need for better education and for our county leaders and communities to commit to anti-racism.”
You can read the full statistics here and Cumbria Police statement here.
