Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the levels of hate crime in the United Kingdom; and what assessment they have made of the implications of such crimes for community cohesion.

The Government is committed to providing robust and transparent data on hate crime. We have seen significant improvements to hate crime data including the inclusion of hate crime in National Crime Statistics and the Crime Survey of England and Wales.

The Government funds the National Community Tension Team which analyses hate crime, together with a wide range of information from local police areas and international events. They produce ‘Operation Element’ reports weekly to inform targeted threat assessments which inform the decisions of local managers. At times of increased tension this analysis will be boosted to produce more regular or detailed products. This process has been enhanced by national Information Sharing Agreements which allow for the mutual transfer of anonymous hate crime data with some civil society organisations.

As well as the need to reduce the harm caused to victims, we recognise such crimes also have an effect on broader communities and can lead to community tension if not addressed early. In order to address these issues all relevant Ministers are represented on a cross-Government Hate Crime Programme which includes criminal justice agencies and an Independent Advisory Group made up of victims, advocates and academics.