Birmingham Islamophobia: Reported Hate Crimes Up 139% Over Six Years
Of the 55 reported hate crimes in Birmingham because of Islamophobia in 2019, most were violent: 51, or 93%.
The number of reported Islamophobic hate crimes committed in Birmingham has risen from 23 to 55 annually over the last six years.
Out of 227 crimes of this nature over the six-year time-span, 212 were violent. Of the 55 in 2019, 51 were classified as violent; some 93%.
West Midlands Police provided the data in response to a Freedom of Information request made by media literacy charity The Student View.
Of the 23 hate crimes in 2014, all 23 were violent. Of the 29 hate crimes in 2015, 25 were violent. Of the 28 hate crimes in 2016, all were violent. In 2017, 47 of 53 hate crimes of this nature were violent, and in 2018, 38 of 29 were.
The data only includes hate crimes that are reported to the police, meaning that not all crimes are included.
When asked how many mosques have been vandalised or otherwise attacked in Birmingham in the last five years, West Midlands Police advised they were unable to provide this data, as their systems do not hold the appropriate categories to record these crimes.
Chief Superintendent Mat Shaer, hate crime lead at West Midlands Police, said: “We won’t tolerate any type of hate crime against our diverse and multi-cultural communities across the West Midlands.
“It was a previously under-reported crime, and we’ve worked closely with our local partners to encourage people to tell us about unacceptable abuse.
“We’ve tried to make it easier to reach us through third party reporting centres, getting relevant guidance and information translated into different languages and through our hate crime app.
“We also work with our national partners, including Tell MAMA, to further help us in combating Islamophobia.
“Every report of hate crime is taken seriously because such behaviour is unacceptable and can have a significant impact on victims, their families, friends and communities.”