Weekly Hate Crime and Incident Report

Police Scotland is today issuing data in relation to the introduction of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 which came into force on 1 April, 2024.

The management data shows there were 7152 online hate reports received from 1 April to 7 April, 2024. During this period 240 hate crimes and 30 non-crime hate incidents were recorded.

The vast majority of reports received during this period were anonymous. These were assessed against the new legislation and no further action is being taken.

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”.

The data can be accessed here: https://www.scotland.police.uk/advice-and-information/hate-crime/hate-crime-data/