Hate crimes on the rise in Wiltshire and Hampshire
The latest figures have been released
The number of hate crimes committed in Hampshire and Wiltshire in the year to March 2022 increased from the previous 12 months, new figures reveal.
Home Office statistics show that in Wiltshire there were a total of 902 hate crimes recorded by the police, up from 753 the year before.
That's an increase of nearly 20% in just 12 months.
The highest number of incidents were to do with race, with 615 reported to the force.
But the biggest rise was hate crimes for sexual orientation, with a 52% increase.
Wiltshire do have the lowest total figures of all forces in the South West.
Meanwhile, Hampshire has seen a huge jump in the number of hate crimes recorded by police.
They had 5,796 in 2021/22 up from 3,528 - a rise of 64%.
That's also more than any other police force across the South East.
The county saw 3,454 incidents to do with race, 1,064 with sexual orientation and 1,052 with disability.
Disability hate crimes were up 104% on the previous year.
This follows the national trend, which saw a 26% increase across England and Wales.
You can see the full list of figures on the gov.uk website.