Police forces across England and Wales have documented an uptick in hate crime offences for the first time since 2022, with particularly notable increases in race and faith-based incidents, according to newly released Home Office data.
Official statistics show 115,990 hate crime offences were logged during the twelve months ending in March, representing a 2% increase from the prior year’s total of 113,166. These figures exclude data from the Metropolitan Police.
Religious Hate Crimes Show Mixed Patterns
Crimes targeting Muslims climbed 19% over the period, with authorities noting a marked surge following last summer’s Southport murders and subsequent civil unrest. Meanwhile, recorded offences against Jewish people decreased by 18% nationally—though this reduction must be viewed in context, as it follows a 113% spike the previous year in the immediate wake of the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks.
The Metropolitan Police separately reported that Jewish people were the target of 40% of all religious hate crimes in London during the past year.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood addressed the concerning trends, stating that Jewish and Muslim communities face “unacceptable levels of often violent hate crime.”
“Too many people are living in fear because of who they are, what they believe, or where they come from,” Mahmood said, emphasizing zero tolerance for attacks based on religion, race, or identity. She confirmed enhanced police presence at places of worship following a recent synagogue attack in Manchester.
Demographic Breakdown Reveals Disparities
When examining religious hate crimes recorded during the year ending March 2025, Muslims were targeted in 45% of cases, while Jewish people were targeted in 29%. However, per capita rates tell a different story: there were 106 offences per 10,000 Jewish people compared to 12 per 10,000 Muslims.
Race-motivated hate crimes increased 6% during the period, while offences declined in other categories: sexual orientation (down 2%), disability (down 8%), and transgender identity (down 11%).
Concerns Over Incomplete Data and Underreporting
The Community Security Trust, which works to protect British Jewish communities, acknowledged the decrease in recorded antisemitic incidents but cautioned that levels “remain far too high given the small size of the Jewish community.” The organization stressed that excluding Metropolitan Police data means the statistics “give only a partial picture of the true scale of anti-Jewish hate crime in the UK.”
Suresh Grover, founder of anti-racist charity The Monitoring Group, highlighted that official figures don’t capture the full extent of hate crime. He emphasized the critical importance of initial police responses, noting that inadequate handling means “you lose those people in the statistical data” or worse, “you lose people who continue to suffer in silence.”
The current statistics don’t yet reflect recent events, including demonstrations outside asylum accommodation centers and alleged hate crimes at anti-immigration gatherings.
Imam Qari Asim, co-chairman of the British Muslim Network, called for collective action: “Whether it is Islamophobia, antisemitism or any form of bigotry, we must confront it together—with unity and courage, not silence.”
The data comes from 43 territorial police forces across England and Wales plus British Transport Police. Including Metropolitan Police figures brings the total to 137,550 recorded hate crimes, though officials note methodological changes prevent direct year-on-year comparison.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
