REPORTED hate crimes in Wiltshire and Swindon have increased over the previous year according to new figures published by the Home Office.

The number of hate crimes has increased by four per cent, compared to nine per cent nationally in the year between April 2020 and March 2021.

There were 753 reports of hate crime, 29 more than in 2019/20. These statistics monitor the five types of hate crimes recognised in law: race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. 

Racial hate crime increased by five per cent to 533 (from 507) while disability increased by 10 per cent to 86(from 78)

To mark this year's National Hate Crime Awareness Week, two hate crime advisors, PCSOs Andrew Maclachlan and Ellie Grindrod were at the Brunel Centre to raise awareness and talk to the community.

PCSO Maclachlan told the Adver: "Hate crime is not accepted, it's a very personal crime, it's against someone and it hurts.

"Hate crime is committed against someone's disability, race, religion,sexual orientation or gender. We get quite a few neighbourly reports and it gets very personal against one of the neighbours because they may have one of those five characteristics."

He said hate crime is massively under reported due to a number of reasons.

"There's a lot of reasons why people may not want to report," he said. "They think it's not big enough for us to look into, but we will take it very seriously. Some people don't want to bring attention to themselves, some people don't trust us. I think there's a lot of reasons why they don't."

Racial hate crime continues to be the largest of all reported hate crimes and 26 more reports were made during the year with exceptionally high reports of this type of crime in July and August 2020 as lockdown restrictions were eased.

Insp James Williams, tactical lead for hate crime, said: "Although the year-on-year increase is just four per cent, it is worrying to see any increase as there is no place in civilised society for hate crimes.

"It can be extremely damaging to those on the receiving end as well as for their families and wider communities.

"We have experienced a reduction in religious and transgender flagged hate crimes but seen increases in disability and racially motivated hate crimes.

"I would encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses a hate crime to report it. We take all such reports seriously."