Racist hate crimes pass 100,000 in England and Wales for first time

Disability, sexual-orientation and religious hate crimes all increased last year while anti-transgender crimes rose by 56%

More than 100,000 racist hate crimes were recorded in England and Wales for the first time last year, statistics show.

Offences against all minority groups rose by more than a quarter, the largest annual rise since 2017. Police forces recorded 155,841 hate crimes in the year ending March 2022 - up 26% from the previous 12 months.