Disability aggravated hate crime in Scotland at highest rate on record, figures show

Charges against people subjecting disabled people to hate crime because of their condition is the highest on record, figures have shown.

Charges against people accused of committing disability aggravated hate crime in Scotland went up by 3% in 2022/23 to 722, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said on Tuesday, taking it to the highest reported level since current laws came into force in 2010.

And the number of charges for crime aggravated by a victim’s sexual orientation increased to 1,884 in 2022/23, up 2% from the year before, continuing its climb upwards since 2014/15.

But racism charges are the most common. There were 3,145 charges relating to race crime reported in 2022/23, a fall of 2% compared to the year before. It is 31% lower than the high in 2011/12, when there were 4,547 charges.

Dorothy Bain KC (pictured), the Lord Advocate, said: “We will not tolerate crime which damages the fundamental right of an individual to be exactly the person they are.

“As prosecutors, we take very seriously our responsibility to protect victims and members of the public from these hate-fuelled offences.”

Overall, the number of charges reported containing at least one element of hate crime was 5,738 in 2022/23, which is 2% down on the year before.

While the majority of hate crime has a racial element, the proportion of charges aggravated by race has been falling over the last decade from 74% in 2013/14 to 55% in 2022/23.

The proportion of hate crime charges containing prejudice which related to sexual orientation has increased from 16% to 33% over the same period.

And the figures show that the proportion of charges relating to transgender identity was 1%, a total of 55 reports.

It is the second highest on record, with 86 charges reported in 2021-22 being its peak. Between 2016/17 and 2020/21 the number of charges fluctuated between 40 and 52.

And in 2022/23 the proportion of hate crime reports connected to disability was 13%, while religious aggravation accounted for 10% of the charges.

The figures relate to the number of charges reported rather than the number of people charged, the Crown Office said.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “Hate crime has hugely damaging effects on victims, their families and the wider community and we must all play our part to challenge it.

“These latest figures show that we all must redouble efforts to tackle hatred and prejudice in Scotland.”

The figures were released as part of the Crown Office’s annual Hate Crime in Scotland report.

The characteristics protected by law are race, religion, disbility, sexual orientation.

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