Hate crimes reported to police surge by 18%

Updated

The number of hate crimes reported to police has jumped by nearly a fifth, new figures show.

There were 52,528 such offences recorded by forces in England and Wales in 2014/15 - an increase of 18% compared to the previous year, according to Home Office data.

More than 80% were classed as race hate crimes, with others involving religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender victims.

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