Hate crime figures reveal a rise in transgender victims

Hate crimes against transgender people are at their highest level in Scotland since records began.

Offences with an aggravation of transgender identity nearly doubled in the last 12 months, a new study has revealed.

It is the highest increase since the legislation was updated in 2010.

The figures – showing 84 trans-related charges in 2021-22, compared to 45 the previous year – feature in an annual round-up of hate crime data released by the Crown Office.

It showed that the overall number of charges reported containing at least one element of hate crime had actually dropped slightly, from 5,654 in 2020-21 to 5,640 in 2021-22 (-0.2%).

But the number of cases linked to disability, sexual orientation and trans identity are growing, the data suggests.

The report comes as the Scottish Government develops its new hate crime strategy which is due to be published before the end of the year.

The number of hate crimes dealt with by the procurator fiscal office in Dundee has dropped from 267 in 2020-21 to 209, with just one case linked to transgender identity.

Courts in Perth, Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline have all experienced overall increases in the last two years, while there has been a slight drop in cases at Forfar.

Perth has the highest number of transgender-related offences (three) among the local offices.

Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain QC said: “Hate crime has damaging consequences for individuals, our communities and society as a whole.

“No one should find themselves targeted with abuse for the simple fact of being who they are.”

She added: “Offences which are fired by hatred and prejudice against race, religion, disability, transgender identity or sexual orientation will not be tolerated.”

Racially-aggravated crimes continued to make up the bulk of all such offences, with 3,107 charges reported in the last 12 month period.

However, that is a decrease of seven per cent on the previous figure.

The numbers for race crimes have fluctuated in recent years, but are now 32% lower than the peak in 2011-12 when 4,547 were reported.

Crimes aggravated by sexual orientation are the second most reported category. The number of

these charges climbed by 10% in the last year to 1,781.

There has been a yearon-year increase in race crimes – apart from a drop in 2014-15 – since the aggravation was introduced 12 years ago.

There were 512 cases involving religious aggravation last year, a dip of 16%.

These cases include charges reported under

Offensive Behaviour at Football legislation. It is thought to be the lowest number containing a religious element for about eight years, when 479 charges were reported in 2004-05.

The rate of hate crimes concerning disability rose by 44% to 666.

This is also the highest number of such charges since the new hate crime legislation came into force. Of all hate crimes reported in Scotland in 2021-22, no action was taken against 87 mostly due to “insufficient” evidence.

Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: “Hate crime is a corrosive form of offending that has hugely damaging effects on victims, their families and the wider community.

“These latest figures show that we all must redouble efforts to tackle hatred and prejudice in Scotland – it will not be tolerated.”

He added: “That is why the Scottish Government has committed to developing a new hate crime strategy, for publication later this year.”

Mr Brown said the new strategy will look at possible ways to bolster approaches to “effectively confront hate crime offending in Scotland”.

The figures have been published by the Crown Office.