Rise in hate reports has ‘minimal’ impact on frontline police services despite receiving 7,000 in one week

The Hate Crime and Public Order Act came into force on April 1

Police Scotland say they received more than 7,000 online hate reports in one week following the introduction of new legislation.

The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021, which came into force at the beginning of the month, introduced a new crime of stirring up hatred relating to race, disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity and religion. The Bill also abolishes the offence of blasphemy which has not been prosecuted in Scotland for more than 175 years.

Police Scotland has released its official hate crime figures

Data shared by Police Scotland shows there were 7,152 online hate reports received from April 1 to 7 April, with 240 hate crimes and 30 non-crime hate incidents recorded during this period. The force received 3,419 online hate reports on the first day the law came into effect, 1,359 on April 2, with the number of recorded crimes reducing over the course of the week. (586 on April 3, 961 on April 4, 304 on April 5, 180 on April 6 and 343 on April 7)

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “This data highlights the substantial increase in the number of online hate reports being received since 1 April.

“This significant demand continues to be managed within our contact centres and so far the impact on frontline policing, our ability to answer calls and respond to those who need our help in communities across Scotland has been minimal.

“All complaints received are reviewed by officers, supported by dedicated hate crime advisers, and dealt with appropriately, whether that is being progressed for further assessment, or closed as they do not meet the criteria under the legislation”.

Between April 1 to 7, police data revealed there were 120 hate crimes relating to race (48 per cent), 42 reports relating to sexual orientation (17 per cent) and 38 reports of relating to disability (15 per cent). Other recorded crimes related to transgender identity, age and religion. 

The force stated multiple ‘hate aggravators’ can be added to a single hate crime, with police reporting 250 hate crimes from the 240 recorded crimes. The police added that the vast majority of reports received during the first week of April were anonymous and after being assessed against the new legislation no further action was taken.

You can view the full report on the Police Scotland website.