Police Scotland have urged victims of hate crime to speak out stating that the official figures are merely a drop in the ocean in comparison to the actual number of crimes. 

Under a Freedom of Information request, it was revealed that there were 5,800 hate crimes between last April and January with the overall numbers falling from the previous year. However, statistics monitoring things such as taunts, verbal abuse and inappropriate language which don't necessarily count as breaking the law, have jumped 25% from 4,309 in 2013/14 to 5,301 in 2014/15. 

Hate Crimes in Scotland

Of the 5,814 reported hate crime figures in Scotland between April 1st  and January 31st, racially motivated crimes were by far the most common, with 4,345 cases. Crimes motivated by sexual orientation was recorded just under 900 times with 555 religiously motivated crimes reported to Police Scotland. A further 164 crimes linked to disability and 35 to abuse of transgender people.

Despite official figures showing that the number of hate crimes falling by 6%, police officials state that the number is significantly higher that reports indicate. Superintendent Ross Aitken said that he, along with many in Police Scotland would not mind seeing the number rising as it would lead to more people coming forward and a better chance of more convictions in the long run. He said: "It's a drip, drip effect. And if that person is being subjected to that every day of their lives, that has got a really corrosive effect on that individual. 

"It affects their self-esteem, their confidence. We've got loads of examples of people who won't leave their homes.”

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