United Kingdom

The United Kingdom regularly reports hate crime data to ODIHR.

Authorities collaborate closely with civil society, including through Information Sharing Agreements concluded between the police and the Community Security Trust (CST), Galop and Tell MAMA, which enable the exchange of recorded data about incidents. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) regularly convenes an external consultation group (ECG) on hate crime, whose members include community organizations, victim advocacy groups, academics with relevant expertise and others. ECG members scrutinize CPS policies and practices, and suggest where improvements can be made.

In Northern Ireland, the Department of Justice chairs a multi-agency Hate Crime Delivery Group (HCDG) to identify strategic, cross-governmental priorities and develop new approaches to dealing with hate crime. The group meets quarterly and includes representatives of government departments, criminal justice agencies and victim groups. The Department of Justice and Northern Ireland Policing Board jointly fund Policing and Community Safety Partnerships (PCSPs) to engage and consult with the local community, and work with local partners to identify and prioritize local community safety and policing issues and develop initiatives and projects to address these.

In Scotland, there is the Hate Crime Strategic Partnership Group (SPG), which brings together criminal justice agencies and civil society organizations with hate crime expertise. The SPG helped ensure a multi-agency strategic approach was taken to the develop the Hate Crime Strategy for Scotland. The Hate Crime and Public Order Act (Scotland) Act 2021 became an Act of Parliament on 23 April 2021. The Act was commenced on 1 April 2024.

The UK's College of Policing has developed guidelines for police on responding to hate crime, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has issued relevant guidance for prosecutors and published public policy statements on particular hate crime strands.

Police and prosecution data, which cover the reporting period from April to March of the following year, are regularly published by the relevant criminal justice agencies of England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

SELECT YEAR

Download the 2009 hate crime report for United Kingdom

OFFICIAL DATA REPORTED BY STATES

Year	Hate crimes recorded by police	Prosecuted	Sentenced
2023	148,735	Not available	Not available
2022	147,447	296 (NI)	1,107
2021	158,018	5,984	932
2020	125,848	16,824	9,510
2019	106,672	14,058	9,340
2018	111,076	18,055	10,817
2017	95,552	14,535	11,987
2016	80,763	20,321	Not available
2015	62518	21300	13103
2014	52853	4872	549
2013	47986	19689	12353
2012	47676	19205	10794
2011	50688	19802	12651
2010	53946	19342	11405
2009	58692	13030	10690

Download official data

National developments

The Equality and Human Rights Commission decided to conduct a formal inquiry into the actions of public authorities to eliminate disabilityrelated harassment in England and Wales. This inquiry was a follow-up to the 2009 report of the Commission addressing the issue of hate crimes against persons with disabilities.

The Scottish Parliament passed the Offences (Aggravation by Prejudice) Act 2009. The Act extended the previous list of aggravating circumstances in crimes to include offences motivated by prejudice relating to a victim’s actual or presumed disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity. The Act also requires courts to stipulate the use of aggravating circumstances when sentencing.

The Cross-Governmental Hate Crime Strategy Board introduced a hate crime diagnostic toolkit to enable local authorities to assess the quality of service offered to hate crime victims and develop multi-agency action plans to improve services where needed. Adding to the already existing resource packs for victims, an information kit focusing on disability hate crimes aims to raise awareness of victim’s rights and build confidence in the criminal justice response to such crimes. This includes information geared towards persons with learning disabilities. The government launched a Cross-Government Action Plan in September 2009 to set out how to meet the challenges of hate crime, including homophobic and transphobic hate crime.

KEY OBSERVATION

No information is available.

Incidents reported by civil society, international organizations and the Holy See

Reports

Racist and xenophobic hate crime

An organizer of a music festival against racism was assaulted after receiving threats and his photo appeared on the Redwatch website.

Anti-Semitic hate crime

The Community Security Trust reported 924 incidents, of which 124 were assaults, 44 involved threats, and 89 involved damage to property, including 26 incidents of the desecration of synagogues and six of cemeteries. The Stephen Roth Institute reported 374 violent incidents.

Anti-Muslim hate crime

ENGAGE reported one murder, one violent attack, two assaults, two arson attacks against mosques and one against the headquarters of the Muslim charity Islamic Relief.

Anti-LGBTI hate crime

Transgender Europe (TGEU) reported the murders of two transgender persons.

Developments

Anti-Muslim hate crime

Following the desecration of approximately 20 Muslim graves at Manchester’s Southern Cemetery in three incidents from September to November 2009, United Against Fascism held a peace vigil at the cemetery. The aim of the event was to respond to these acts by building unity and solidarity among communities.

Disability hate crime

A Disability Hate Crime Summit was organized on 20 January 2009 by the NGOs Scope, Disability Now and the UK Disabled People’s Council, in association with the Metropolitan Police Service’s Disability Independent Advisory Group. The summit focused on the importance of tackling hate crimes at the local level.

The Institute for Conflict Research in Northern Ireland published a research paper on hate crime against people with disabilities. The report acknowledged the significance of the problem and the lack of awareness that such crimes should be reported as hate crimes.

INTERNATIONAL REPORTS

Anti-Semitic hate crime, Anti-Muslim hate crime

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) raised concerns over anti-Semitism and intolerance and discrimination against Muslims in the United Kingdom.