Recorded hate crimes in Scotland surge after new law

SCOTLAND has seen a significant rise in hate crimes, with a 63 per cent increase since the introduction of the Hate Crime and Public Order Act in April. Over 5,400 hate crimes have been reported in the past six months, primarily linked to race and age, reported the BBC.

The legislation introduced a new offence aimed at tackling threatening or abusive behaviour intended to incite hatred against protected groups, including those based on race, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and transgender identity.

Police Scotland suggested that this surge in reported hate crimes is not just a reflection of more incidents but also a sign that people now feel more confident in reporting them. The law’s introduction has made the public more aware of hate crime protections, leading to an influx of reports.

In the first week alone, more than 7,000 online hate crime reports were submitted. However, only 240 of these were classified as crimes after review.

Since the law came into effect, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has taken prosecutorial action on 468 charges from April to September. So far, 42 cases have resulted in convictions, while over 80 per cent of the cases are still going through the court system.

A spokesman from COPFS said that each case is given thorough attention, highlighting the importance of avoiding premature judgments about the law's effectiveness. With many cases still in court, it’s too early to fully assess the long-term impact of the legislation.

“As one would expect in such a short time many of the charges reported are still ongoing in court and it would not be prudent to make any assumptions regarding the efficacy of legislation at such an early stage," the spokesman was quoted as saying.

The new act has been met with controversy since its introduction. The bill was designed to consolidate existing hate crime laws while creating a new offence of "stirring up hatred." It aims to better protect vulnerable communities but has also sparked concerns about free speech.

Author J.K. Rowling has been a vocal critic of the law, arguing that it could potentially criminalise individuals expressing views on sensitive topics, such as gender identity.

Despite these concerns, early statistics show that cases involving gender have been less frequent than those involving race and age, with around 300 incidents linked to age-related abuse.

Community safety minister Siobhian Brown has pointed out that some complaints made shortly after the law’s introduction were false or vexatious. Several complaints even targeted high-profile figures, such as former first minister Humza Yousaf. The initial flood of reports has since stabilised.

Additionally, about 10 per cent of the reported hate crimes were later classified as non-crime hate incidents. Cities such as Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow recorded the highest numbers of hate crime reports.

In some cases, hate crimes were even directed at on-duty police officers, with 679 incidents targeting law enforcement personnel.