REPORTS of race and religious hate crimes across Sussex rose last year amid a new high for offences in England and Wales.

A total of 1,415 racially and religiously aggravated offences were recorded in 2021, up three per cent from 1,379 in 2020.

The figures cover five types of offences - racially or religiously aggravated assault with injury, assault without injury, harassment, criminal damage, and public fear, alarm or distress.

Of the 44 forces in England and Wales, 39 reported a rise in such offences from 2020 to 2021, while 34 forces saw numbers last year reach a new high.

Across England and Wales, 76,884 offences were recorded last year, up 15 per cent from the previous year.

The easing of Covid-19 restrictions, England’s defeat at the Euro football championships and improved recording of hate crimes are thought to have contributed to the increase.

The number has been on an upwards trend since 2013 - the first calendar year for which comparable data is available.

Superintendent Nick Dias, Sussex Police’s lead for hate crime, said that any reports of hate crime are unacceptable.

He said: “Sussex Police remains fully committed to protecting those at risk of hate crime, bringing perpetrators to justice and working with our partners to educate and challenge the root causes of such behaviour.

“We carry out a great deal of work engaging with communities affected by hate crime, raising awareness affected by hate crime, raising awareness of what constitutes a hate crime and encouraging victims to report.

“We would always encourage greater reporting of crimes in order to build up a more accurate picture of the issues affecting our communities.

“Central to this is ensuring the public are more confident identifying and reporting hate crime and trust that making the report will result in police action.

“If you have been a victim of hate crime, please report it to us online, via 101 or by calling 999 in an emergency.”

Charity Victim Support said last year’s figures were “seriously concerning” and fit a pattern for “spikes in hate crime linked to world events”, while the Equality and Human Rights Commission warned that “more still needs to be done to improve the quality of support for victims”, including “effective hate crime training” for police forces.