Huge rise in disability hate crime is down to ‘better reporting’ – do you believe that?

I’d love to believe the claim in the headline, but it comes from a Tory-controlled Home Office, so I’m afraid it isn’t worth the time it took to write it.

But then, I have been reporting on the rise in disability hate crime, more or less since the government started recording it.

So, on August 14, 2012, I had to report that “hate crime against disabled people has hit its highest level since records began, totalling 1,942 recorded incidents in 2011, an increase of more than 25 per cent – that means it’s up by more than a quarter – on the total for 2010”.

The reason, in my opinion? “It’s the logical result of the government’s effort to demonise disabled people and those who claim benefits on their behalf“.

By 2015, the number of reports had soared again – this time by 25 per cent in a single year.

I wrote: “Figures published by the Home Office reveal that 2,508 disability motivated hate crimes were reported and recorded by the police in 2014/15, up 25% from 2,006 in 2013/14.”

And in February this year, it was revealed that disability hate crime had rocketed by 213 per cent between 2010 and 2015.

This year’s total – and this is just recorded hate crimes against people with disabilities, remember – is 5,558. That’s a 53 per cent rise since 2015-16.

And the Home Office wants you to think it isn’t because of Tory “scroungers and skivers v strivers” rhetoric but because the police have improved their recording of these crimes (despite the huge cuts in operational ability inflicted by Theresa May) and more people are coming forward?

I should cocoa.

It’s because people have become increasingly emboldened and think they can attack the vulnerable without fear of punishment.

 

The number of hate crimes in England and Wales has increased by 29%, according to Home Office statistics.

There were 80,393 offences in 2016-17, compared with 62,518 in 2015-16 – the largest increase since the Home Office began recording figures in 2011-12.

The biggest rise was in disability and transgender hate crimes, but this was due to better crime recording and more people coming forward, the report said.

It also noted a spike in hate crime around the time of the EU referendum.

There were also rises after the Westminster Bridge, Manchester Arena and London Bridge attacks this year.

Source: Rise in hate crime in England and Wales – BBC News


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7 Comments

  1. Jeffrey Davies October 18, 2017 at 6:29 am - Reply

    theres a pile of stones the government provided for you to stone those on benefits they are the culprits

  2. aunty1960 October 18, 2017 at 6:57 am - Reply

    NO!! same as HUGE RISE in rape and gun crime is down to more people being able to come forward. Most communities disabled and women can tell you the culture of violence, hate, rape is UP UP UP and police in my town said gangland culture is now British culture. so not a police matter.

  3. Barry Davies October 18, 2017 at 7:08 am - Reply

    The problem is that the definition of “hate crime has become so broad, any perceived sleight against anyone who is not a single white heterosexual male can be claimed as a hate crime. So the only group you can get away with discrimination against with impunity is now open to abuse in other areas as well.

  4. Wirral In It Together October 18, 2017 at 8:56 am - Reply

    Wirral Labour Council felt emboldened enough by the Tories (and Blair before them) to spend 9 years stealing a total of £736,756.97 from many of its own tenants, who were Angela Eagle’s learning disabled constituents.

    The story can be followed by Google groups the precise figure. Hate crime doesn’t just come from Ukip or Tory thugs. Labour has its own skeletons in the closet. Angela Eagle for her part did very little and was seen to walk by on the other side.

    But this sort of thing transcends politics.

  5. Phill Evans October 18, 2017 at 9:27 am - Reply

    “Better” reporting by the Daily Mail, maybe.

  6. NMac October 18, 2017 at 10:52 am - Reply

    Personally, I believe that the rise in hate crime is due to right-wing political encouragement. Even government ministers have used language which emotive and designed to incite hatred.

  7. Roland Laycock October 18, 2017 at 11:11 am - Reply

    A country not to be proud of

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