The Crown Office has published a report on Hate Crime in Scotland during 2011-12, which brings together figures on race crime, and on crime motivated by prejudice related to religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity.
The main findings include:
- The number of charges reported to the Procurator Fiscal in 2011-12 increased for all categories of hate crime. This is likely to have been partly due to increased awareness, reporting and recording of these crimes following several incidents relating to religious prejudice which received significant media attention during the year.
- In total 4,518 charges of race crime were reported to the Procurator Fiscal in 2011-12, compared to 4,178 in 2010-11, an increase of 8%, and the highest number reported in the six years covered by the publication. Court proceedings were commenced in respect of 81% of these charges.
- There were 897 charges with a religious aggravation reported to the Procurator Fiscal in 2011-12, compared to 695 in 2010-11, an increase of 29% and the highest number since the relevant legislation came into force. Court proceedings were commenced in respect of 86% of charges.
- In 2011-12 which is the second full year of implementation of the legislation relating to the newer hate crime categories, 652 charges were reported with an aggravation of sexual orientation (447 in 2010-11), 68 with an aggravation of disability (48 in 2010-11), and 16 with an aggravation of transgender identity (14 in 2010-11).
