New police figures show shock rise in race hate crime in Scotland
Record numbers of people across Scotland are falling victim to hate crimes.
Shock new figures from Police Scotland show cases of racial and religious abuse have risen sharply in the past three years. However the vast majority of reported crimes now involve what police term a "racial aggravator." Yesterday anti racism campaigners laid the blame for the increase on the far right and political leaders like Nigel Farage who they accuse of stirring up anti immigration sentiments.
In 2022 there were 3838 recorded hate crimes where race was a factor, that rose to 3937 in 2023, and 4953 last year. In the first two months of 2025 there were 738 race related crimes reported to police. Among the regular victims of hate crimes are emergency workers. Figures for last year show 59 attacks on First Responders where racial or religious abuse was involved and 15 in the first two months of this year.
Leading human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar has no doubt where the blame rises for the increase in reported hate crime. He said:"Sadly, the statistics come as no surprise, when demonising migrants and minorities is now routine for so many politicians and sections of our media. "The likes of Trump and Farage have empowered the racists and far-right, to think they can abuse with impunity."
Robina Qureshi of Glasgow based anti racism charity Positive Action in Housing added: "I'm not surprised to see a rise in reported hate crimes – if anything, I'm surprised the numbers aren't even higher. "Nigel Farage lied about the billions we'd save for the NHS if we left the EU. "Now he's back, pointing the finger at refugees and Muslims, hoping we forget who really gutted this country. "We are living through a period of growing economic hardship and political instability, and history shows that in times like these, marginalised communities – particularly Muslims, immigrants and racial minorities – are often scapegoated."
Robina then added:"The figures from Police Scotland are just the tip of the iceberg. "We know that around 75 percent of people who experience racism don't report it to the police. "Many people simply don't believe the justice system will protect them or take their complaints seriously. "To rebuild that trust, we need to see real accountability. "That means robust enforcement of hate crime laws, meaningful convictions that show perpetrators will be held responsible, and urgent action to clamp down on social media platforms that spread misinformation and incite racial hatred. "If we don't address both the root causes and the platforms that amplify hate, these numbers will continue to rise – and with them, the danger to the communities most affected."
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The rise in crime figures follows the introduction of new hate crime legislation last year by the then First Minister Humza Yousaf. The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act became law in April 2024. In the first month alone 462 hate crimes were recorded - a 50 percent increase on April 2023 when 307 complaints were made to police.
The following month the number of reports rose to 518 up on the previous years figure of 391. The highest monthly number of complaints since the new law came in was 553 last August up from 366. In the first ten months of the new law there were 4794 hate crimes - more than 2022 and 2023. The Police Scotland report, released under Freedom of Information, also gives a breakdown of the different types of crime where hate crime and racial and religious abuse happens.
Hate Crimes are most common where the victim is the subject of threatening or abusive behaviour or the alleged perpetrator is accused of stirring up hatred. However hate crimes have also been recorded against people accused of assault, robbery, domestic abuse, stalking, burglary, shoplifting, arson, knife carrying, vandalism and even offences against children and animals.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said:"Hate crime has no place in our society. It will not be tolerated and targeting anyone because of who they are is deplorable. Everyone has a right to live safely as their true and authentic selves, without fear of prejudice. "Continuing to tackle hate crime remains a priority for Police Scotland officers and we treat people who bravely come forward with sensitivity, respect and dignity. "We understand it can be hard for people to report a hate crime, and in some cases to even recognise or acknowledge that they have been a victim. "Some people have been exposed to hate crimes for weeks, months or even years before they are able to report. "Anyone who has been a victim of hate crime should report it Police Scotland and every complaint will be professionally and robustly investigated."
There was also an increase last year in the number of religious hate crimes . Police Scotland recorded 572 cases in 2024 compared 477 the previous year. There were also 75 reports in the first two months of this year.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
STV News
24 minutes ago
- STV News
Hunt for teens after van 'deliberately' set on fire outside shop
A hunt has been launched for three teenagers after a van was 'deliberately' set on fire outside a shop in North Lanarkshire. Emergency services were called after a white Mercedes Sprinter van was set alight while parked outside a shop on Dunure Street in Coatbridge at around 7.45pm on Thursday. Officers said the fire was extinguished prior to emergency services' arrival. Police are treating the blaze as 'wilful' and are looking to trace three male youths seen running from the area at the time of the incident. The boys are described as white, aged between 16 and 17 years old and were all wearing scarves to cover their faces. One was around 5ft 6in tall and was wearing a grey tracksuit. The second was wearing all black, and the third youth was wearing a grey Montirex jacket and black Nike trainers. The force is urging anyone with information regarding the incident to come forward. Detective Constable Niccolo Gamberi said: 'Our enquiries are ongoing into this incident, and I am asking anyone who might have been in the area and saw something to get in touch. 'Similarly, anyone in the area with private CCTV or dash-cam footage that might have captured anything that could be useful in our investigation is urged to contact us. 'Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident 3295 of July 31. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Mirror
25 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
'Don't look now, but Keir's scored a win on knife crime'
It's taken a year but Keir Starmer can finally say his government's brought down knife crime, says Fleet Street Fox. It's a shame people won't notice If it seems to you that the government can't do anything right, it may be because the Opposition, the media, and all the other problems you can see, combine to provide a constant drumbeat of national collapse. It is that sort of tone which did for the Tories, although it took 14 years, Brexit, Partygate, AND Liz Truss to put the last nail in their coffin. In a country where most newspapers are Tory-supporting, most people are socially conservative, and all previously-existing problems have not magically evaporated, it's not a surprise - if you think about it properly - that the same tone applies to a single year of Labour being in power. All journalists kick a government harder than an Opposition. That's the problem with a pedestal. But this column is nothing if it is not scrupulously fair and accurate, and so one year and one month into Keir Starmer's administration it is time to announce that he is finally able to declare a win on one of the most hideous trends in living memory. Knife crime is down. Overall, the figure is 6%, and in some places as much as 25%, but it's down in all the worst hotspots except Greater Manchester. That means less pressure on courts, on hospitals, on police, less trouble for teachers, and more importantly, fewer parents and siblings sobbing over a teenager who has suffered unsurvivable wounds by the sort of blade John Wick would think twice about using. Finally, it's safe to leave the house without checking your will is up-to-date. You can send your children to school with a little more confidence they won't be getting shanked on the way home. And the horror headlines so many have had to live the reality of - 'machete thugs', 'teen stabbed at bus stop', or 'Idris Elba asks for help' - can finally start to ebb from the front pages. The knife crime surge was directly linked to the austerity years' slashing of community centres, youth mentor schemes, and outreach work by charities and local authorities which was considered worthless by the Bullingdon thugs who ran the country and our capital city for so long. Fixing that damage was so overdue, and the means so bleedin' obvious, that the bar was low enough to qualify as an archaeological dig. And it's only a 6% drop, which means there'll still be plenty of knife crime next week for Starmer's enemies to wave around. But the real problem the Prime Minister faces is not that politicians and media can always find something to criticise about whoever's in power. It's that the win is completely intangible - no mother will be aware that her child was otherwise not going to come home today, and that instead of fish fingers for dinner it would have been a trip to a hospital mortuary. All good deeds that avert disaster have the same problem. The Covid vaccines, state education, the NHS in general - because we do not live in the world that does not have them, we do not see what it saves. We count only the cost, of the vaccine-damaged, of teacher pay deals, hospital scandals. We look at the budget column we can see, and not the one we can hug. READ MORE: Mum of teen murdered with ninja sword makes powerful plea on day of major law change For years politicians vowed to get tough on crime, and all they did was redefine "tough" and what counted as a "crime". There's a thousand mothers out there who'd say shutting community centres should have led to jail time, and the cemeteries are evidence enough that all the trumpeted crackdowns did was break a few more hearts. If you ask a stranger which is the "party of law and order", they'd probably shrug and say whichever one whose leader last took a picture with a police dog, or attended a dawn raid with TV cameras. And you can bet your bottom dollar some cycnical so-and-so in Westminster is, as I type, trying to find an asylum seeker who committed a knife crime, just so they can prove a link with a different dog whistle. The truth is that knife crime didn't get tackled by the Tories because they caused it, because it was usually poor kids, and because it was usually black kids. The real force behind this win isn't Starmer but his Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who actually listened to police officers, to parents, to community groups, and then put in place what was needed. She gave an interview today in which she spoke about meeting the parent of a murdered teen, and the 'privilege' of seeing some footage of their last hug before he left the house on the day of his death. The reporter said she teared up, then spoke of all the policies she put in place as a result. That's good politics, effective leadership, real commitment - normal, human, determination to do better. And it won't resonate as it should in an August news lull, because there's plenty of bad news still churning about. Yvette achieved a feat of political alchemy. She turned a foundational failure into meaningful, life-saving change, with grown-up, boring competence of the kind we haven't seen in Westminster for a decade. And she won't get the plaudits she should from people who can't see what they didn't lose. But that's what happens when you treat bad news as a problem to solve, and not a stick to hit your rivals with. It's not surprising so many young people have grown up to lash out, over-react, and fail to think things through, when their formative years were spent in a nation led by people who jerked the knee twice a day and only ever sought to escalate anger. That may be Starmer's real win. A national conversation that is unexciting, but competent. It won't make Twitter explode but for thousands of families, it means the world. The centres of their universe, their sense of security and ease, their pride, their hope. The generation who'll learn how to be grown-ups. The sort of thing that nobody notices, because you can't put a price on it.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Glasgow industrial estate fire 'deliberate' as police launch probe
Nine fire engines were sent to tackle the flames at a storage unit in the Kinning Park area on Thursday. Police have launched probe after a fire ripped through a business premises in Glasgow. Emergency crews raced to Stanley Street in Kinning Park after the alarm was raised at 6.46am on July 31. Nine fire engines and two aerial appliances were scrambled to tackle the inferno, which had taken hold of a single-storey storage unit. Police have now confirmed they're treating the fire as deliberate. Officers are appealing for witnesses to come forward with information. Pictures taken in the city centre on the morning of the blaze showed huge plumes of smoke drifting across the skyline, with some visible from Anderston, across the River Clyde. Roads around the area including Stanley Street and Milnpark Street, were shut down. They have since reopened. Officers at the scene were also spotted wearing respiratory masks as locals were urged to avoid the area and close windows due to the risk of smoke inhalation. An eyewitness said the area 'smelled of smoke.' They said: "There were around eight or nine fire engines with a command unit pulling up as we went around. Milnpark St closed between Stanley St and Portman St. It smelled of smoke." All roads have since reopened. Detective Inspector Lesley-Ann McGee said: 'Our enquiries remain ongoing, and I am appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time and who may have seen something to get in touch. 'I would ask that those who live in the surrounding area check their private CCTV and dash-cam footage to see if it has captured anything of significance.' A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: 'Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0563 of 31 July, 2025. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.' A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 6.46am on Thursday, 31 July, to reports of a commercial building fire at Stanley Street, Glasgow. Operations Control mobilised nine appliances and two high reach vehicles to the scene, where firefighters worked to extinguish a fire affecting a single-storey storage unit. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. "As a result of ongoing firefighting operations and progress made, we have now scaled back our response to one fire appliance. There are no casualties, and the crew are working to fully extinguish small hotspots within the building. 'All roads have now reopened, and residents no longer need to keep windows and doors closed.'
