Hate crimes reach record high in England and Wales as anti-trans offences double
The number of hate crimes recorded in England and Wales reached a new high this year, official statistics show. Content warning: This story includes topics that could make some readers uncomfortable.
There were a total of 155,841 hate crimes recorded by police in the year ending March 2022, an increase of 26% from the previous 12 months.
It marks the largest annual rise since 2017. Offences targeting transgender people rose by 56% from 2020/21, showing the largest proportional increase for any group with a total of 4,355 anti-trans incidents on record. “Transgender issues have been heavily discussed on social media over the last year, which may have led to an increase in related hate crimes,” the Home Office report said.
Racist hate crimes also reached new highs, with more than 100,000 recorded in England and Wales for the first time – an increase of 19% from the previous year.
