Weekly Hate Crime and Incident Report

The number of online hate reports being received by Police Scotland has dropped almost 75% in the second week since the introduction of the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 on 1 April 2024.

Management data released by Police Scotland shows there were 1832 online hate reports received between 8 and 14 April, 2024, down from 7152 the previous week.

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.

There were 213 hate crimes recorded in the same period, down from 240 the previous week.

Police also recorded 25 non-crime hate incidents, five fewer than between 1 and 7 April, 2024.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We have seen a significant reduction in the number of online hate reports and these continue to be managed within our contact centres with minimal impact on frontline policing.

“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/