HOMOPHOBIC and transphobic hate crime recorded by police in the UK rose sharply after lockdown restrictions were eased, hitting their highest monthly level since the pandemic began, new analysis shows.

At least 14,670 sexual orientation hate crime offences were recorded from January to August 2021, compared with 11,841 in the same period of 2020 and 10,817 in 2019.

While offences averaged 1,456 a month from January to April this year, they jumped to 2,211 on average from May to August.

There is a similar trend for transphobic offences, which averaged 208 a month from January to April, but 324 for May to August.

Scroll down for figures from three Welsh police forces which released their data

The figures, which included information from the police services in Scotland and Northern Ireland as well as most of the constabularies in Wales and England, were obtained by the PA news agency, based on freedom of information responses from 37 of 46 police forces.

Charity Stonewall described the rise as “worrying” and said the figures are a “stark reminder” that LGBTQ+ people are “still at risk of attack because of who we are”.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) strongly encouraged victims to come forward and said officers are highly trained and will “treat everyone with respect and dignity and handle cases sensitively”.

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Figures from the three Welsh forces which responded also tended to show an increase in sexual orientation hate crime and transphobic offences this year.

Lockdown restrictions such as social distancing and the closure of shops and hospitality were in place across the UK for much of the first three months of 2021.

Restrictions were then eased in stages, with almost all lifted by the end of June – the month that saw the highest volume of homophobic (2,389) and transphobic (371) offences for any calendar month across all three years.

Wales lifted most of its Covid resrictions on August 7, when events such as spectator sports and music festivals were allowed to take place, and nightclubs could re-open as social distancing requirements were dropped.

The UK figures equate to around 80 and 12 offences a day respectively – roughly double the 38 and six per day in January.

Organisations said more research is needed but there could be many reasons for the rise, including more opportunities to report offences as restrictions loosened, an increased number of people being out and about, and the reopening of the night-time economy.

Other factors could be more interaction with support networks who encourage victims to come forward; attacks that were motivated by the pandemic itself; and the higher profile of the LGBT community in June, which is Pride month.

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Leni Morris, chief executive of Galop, the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity, said it launched its hate crime helpline in February 2021 “because we saw a real impact on the community from the pandemic itself”.

She said same-sex couples were more visible when out in public during periods of restrictions, and others faced “escalating violence” when locked down with homophobic or transphobic neighbours.

She told PA: “What we saw in the pandemic was LGBT+ people experiencing forms of abuse and violence that were either exacerbated by the pandemic itself or caused by it.

“We have some people who were victims of abuse and attacks because of being blamed for the pandemic itself, either because perpetrators thought the pandemic was an act of god – because of the existence of LGBT+ people – or because of the community’s association with the last major pandemic in people’s minds, and that’s the HIV Aids pandemic.”

She added these crimes are under-reported, with some victims not seeing the point in reporting frequent attacks, not wanting to antagonise perpetrators and worrying they may experience further prejudice.

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Eloise Stonborough, Stonewall’s associate director of policy and research, said the figures are unlikely to present the full picture due to under-reporting, and that it is vital hate crimes are properly recorded and prosecuted.

She said: “LGBTQ+ people have struggled throughout the pandemic, with many not having access to vital support networks and spaces during lockdowns.

“It’s always worrying to see an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ hate crime, particularly at a time when our communities were more isolated than ever.”

The figures for 2020 show a similar rise after the end of the first lockdown, with homophobic offences averaging 1,236 a month from March to May, then 1,840 from June to August.

Offences in the non-pandemic year of 2019 also show seasonal variation, but in 2020 and 2021 the contrast between winter and summer is much sharper.

Many forces told PA that increases in hate crime can reflect improvements in how they are recorded and greater public awareness of how to report offences.

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Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton, the NPCC lead for hate crime, said: “We will always pursue action against perpetrators of hate crime where there is the evidence to do so.

“The public will understand that we must prioritise our finite resources towards those who face the most imminent threats of harm.

“Unfortunately, sometimes the evidence is scarce and there are no witnesses to the crime.

“Particularly in recent years, and with more people moving their abuse online due to pandemic restrictions, it may be the case that a suspect cannot be identified because of anonymity online, and a charge cannot be brought.”

What are the figures for Welsh forces?

Gwent 

Gwent Police recorded 171 homophobic hate crimes in 2019, 126 in 2020 and 120 from January to August 2021. 

Some 10 transphobic hate crimes were recorded in 2019, 20 in 2020 and 28 in January-August 2021. 

The highest number of homophobic hate crimes in a calendar month across this period was 23 in April 2019; for transphobic hate crimes it was seven in May 2021. 

A total of 74 violence against the person homophobic hate crimes were recorded in 2019, with 47 in 2020 and 41 from January to August 2021. 

There were four violent transphobic hate crimes recorded in 2019, nine in 2020 and 19 in January-August 2021. 

The highest number of violent homophobic hate crimes in a calendar month was 11 in April 2019; for violent transphobic hate crimes it was five in May 2021. 

North Wales 

North Wales Police recorded 196 sexual orientation hate crimes in 2019, 227 in 2020 and 144 from January to August 2021. 

Some 38 transphobic hate crimes were recorded in 2019, 53 in 2020 and 34 in January-August 2021. 

The highest number of sexual orientation hate crimes in a calendar month across this period was 41 in July 2020; for transphobic hate crimes it was 10 in August 2020. 

A total of 98 violence against the person sexual orientation hate crimes were recorded in 2019, with 121 in 2020 and 83 from January to August 2021. 

There were 23 violent transphobic hate crimes recorded in 2019, 32 in 2020 and 21 in January-August 2021. 

The highest number of violent sexual orientation hate crimes in a calendar month was 19 in July 2020; for violent transphobic hate crimes it was seven in August 2020. 

South Wales 

South Wales Police recorded 919 sexual orientation hate crimes in 2019, 982 in 2020 and 855 from January to August 2021. 

Some 149 transphobic hate crimes were recorded in 2019, 136 in 2020 and 141 in January-August 2021. 

The highest number of sexual orientation hate crimes in a calendar month across this period was 166 in July 2021; for transphobic hate crimes it was 31 in June 2021. 

A total of 870 violence against the person sexual orientation hate crimes were recorded in 2019, with 923 in 2020 and 791 from January to August 2021. 

There were 136 violent transphobic hate crimes recorded in 2019, 135 in 2020 and 130 in January-August 2021. 

The highest number of violent sexual orientation hate crimes in a calendar month was 153 in July 2021; for violent transphobic hate crimes it was 29 in June 2021. 

Note: full data was either not supplied or not available for Dyfed-Powys, Cheshire, Cleveland, Hampshire, Merseyside, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Thames Valley and West Mercia police forces. 

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