WEST Mercia Police have backed the national hate crime campaign which came to an end yesterday (Saturday).
The news comes as the latest Home Office statistics show hate crime soared by 29 per cent in 2016-17 to 80,393 offences.
The figures show there was a surge in hate crime around the EU referendum and following the Westminster Bridge, Manchester Arena and London Bridge attacks this year.
The biggest increase though was in disability and transgender hate crime which the Home Office said was largely due to more people coming forward and better recording of crime.
Chief Superintendent Kevin Purcell, who leads on Hate Crime for West Mercia Police, said: “We’re proud of the diverse communities we have living side by side harmoniously right across the West Mercia Police area and we are
always inspired by the great work of our partners to tackle hate crime in all of its form.
“People who attempt to disrupt our communities with hatred, racism and prejudice are thankfully in the minority.
“However, that does not mean we are complacent and I can assure you anyone who commits a crime motivated by hatred will be dealt with robustly.
“It can often be difficult for victims of hate crime to report the incident to police and over the past few years we have carried out a lot of work to address this.
“I hope as a result victims do feel they can come and have the confidence we will take their concerns seriously and do all we can to support them.
“It’s important to remember being you is not a crime but targeting you is.”
