Reporting of Anti-LGBT Crimes Up in U.K.

Hate crimes overall decreased somewhat in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland in 2010, but those motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation or transgender status grew — although past underreporting may account for the increase.

The United Kingdom’s Association of Chief Police Officers, which released the 2010 data this week, gathers information on crimes based on a person’s race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or transgender status. It recorded 48,127 total hate crimes in 2010, compared with 51,920 in 2009. The vast majority of the crimes in both years were motivated by the victim’s race.

In 2010 there were 4,883 crimes believed to be motivated by the victim’s sexual orientation, compared with 4,805 in 2009, a 1.6% increase. The number of attacks committed because the victim was transgender or perceived to be was 357 last year, up from 312 in 2009, a 14% rise.

“The 2010 data importantly shows increases in disability and transgender hate crime,” Stephen Otter (pictured), who oversees the association’s equality, diversity, and human rights initiatives, said in a press release. “While we would obviously want to see reductions in the incidence of all hate crime, we know that these crimes have been significantly underreported in the past. We have committed to building victims’ confidence and improving our recording practices so that more victims can access the service they deserve.”