Hike on hate crimes across NI

Hate crimes are on the rise in Northern Ireland.

The number of cases – 355 – being reported to the Public Prosecution Service has increased by 6% in the last year.

The PPS says most of these fell into the category ‘violence against the person’ (62.5%) with incidences involving violent offences rising by 6.7% from 208 to 222 over the year.

Decisions to prosecute were taken in respect of 432 individuals – a hike of 1.6%.

Elsewhere, most of the 265 decisions in 2018/19 related to offences which were either aggravated on the basis of race (131) or religion (75).

Forty decisions related to offences aggravated on the basis of sexual orientation, while five related to disability. Fourteen were recorded as having multiple motivations.

Meanwhile, a bonfire festooned with flags and abusive placards about the soldier being prosecuted for Bloody Sunday murders has been lit in Londonderry.

Parachute Regiment material was placed all over the pyre before it was ignited in Derry's nationalist Bogside estate.

Police are treating it as a 'hate crime' and were monitoring the situation last night.

• hate crimes
• PPS