Concerns disability hate crime under-reported

Devon and Cornwall Police said it had seen an increase in the number of reports related to disability hate crimes

Disability hate crime could still be under-reported despite an increase in the number of people coming forward, police have said.

As part of National Hate Crime Awareness Week, which runs until Saturday, Devon and Cornwall Police said the number of offences involving a victim's disability in 2024-25 was 419, a 17% increase from the 358 in 2023-24.

However, the force said it believed more offences were happening but not being reported.

Acting Ch Supt Antony Hart, lead for hate crime, said the force never wanted an increase in offences but urged people to be aware of the issue and how it could be reported.

He said anyone who thought they had been the victim of a hate crime should contact police straight away.

Acting Ch Supt Antony Hart said Devon and Cornwall Police wanted to encourage people to report hate crimes

Acting Ch Supt Hart said: "We do know that it's been under-reported previously.

"People may be becoming aware of what hate crime is or an increased confidence in the work police are doing.

"But equally we know there's an awful lot of crime there that isn't being reported."

Statistics from the force said the total number of hate crime reports had increased by 19% from 2,151 in 2023-24 to 2,560 in 2024-25.

Offences which involved a person's race had the highest number of reports with 1,564 in 2024-25, an increase of 26.3% compared to the previous 12 months (1,238).

Sexual orientation was the second-highest personal characteristic targeted with 455 offences reported - an increase of 2% from 446 in 2023-24.

Disability was the third-highest characteristic targeted, according to police figures.