HATE crime, including racially motivated offences, are on the rise in Worcester as the city’s MP said many people are feeling “increasingly unsafe”.
Reported hate crimes can include any offence – such as assault, harassment or theft – that is motivated by hostility or prejudice, for example because of a person’s race, religion or sexual orientation.
Figures secured by the Worcester News under the Freedom of Information Act show a rise in hate crimes motivated by race and religion in Worcester but a slight fall in hate crimes motivated by sexual orientation.
More than 2,500 hate crimes in five years
In total, here have been 2,578 recorded hate crimes in South Worcestershire alone in the last five financial years according to figures supplied by West Mercia Police.
Superintendent Gareth Morgan said ‘hate crime has no place in our communities’ and assured the public the force and its partners were committed to taking action against offenders.
Cllr Alex Mace, a city Green Party councillor, said the figures ‘should concern us all’ and has called for councillors to undertake ‘anti-racism training’.
Online world becoming more toxic says MP
Meanwhile, Worcester’s Labour MP, Tom Collins, said he believed many people are feeling ‘increasingly unsafe in our communities, regardless of how many crimes get reported’, arguing that the online world is ‘getting more toxic’ and that ‘online spaces are driving people down dark paths’.
CONCERNED: Worcester MP Tom Collins is concerned about the rise in hate crime and believes people are feeling increasingly unsafe (Image: Supplied)
Figures show there were 307 hate crimes in Worcester alone in 2025/26, rising from 287 in 2024/25, itself a rise from the 265 incidents reported in 2023/24.
In the last five financial years (2021/22 to 2025/26) there have been 2,578 recorded hate crimes across South Worcestershire which includes the districts of Worcester, Malvern Hills and Wychavon. If the data from north Worcestershire (Bromsgrove, Redditch and Wyre Forest) is factored in as well, there has been a total of 4,878 recorded hate crimes across the last five financial years in Worcestershire.
There were 240 hate crimes motivated by racial hatred in Worcester, 12 motivated by religious hatred and 36 motivated by sexual orientation, 21 by disability hatred and 15 by transgender hatred in 2025/26.
Rising racial hatred, figures suggest
Racial hatred also shows a rising trend in Worcester with 240 such incidents in 2025/26 from 2020 incidents in 2024/25 and 196 in 2023/24. However, despite the recent rise in the last few years, the higher figure of 276 was recorded in 2021/22.
The number of crimes motivated by age and sub culture hatred was the lowest with only two reported incidents in 2025/6 and seven in total between 2021/22 and 2025/26 across Worcester (27 in Worcestershire in total over that same five year period).
In total, there have been 200 hate crimes motivated by ‘transgender hatred’ in Worcestershire in the last five financial year to date (127 in south Worcestershire and 73 in north Worcestershire). The worst district for transgender hate crime was Wychavon with 63 incidents over the last five years, followed by Worcester with 53 incidents,
Superintendent Gareth Morgan said: “Hate crime has no place in our communities, and we are committed to working with our partners to support victims and take action against offenders.
“While recorded hate crime figures can be influenced by a range of factors, including greater awareness and confidence in reporting, every report represents an incident that has had an impact on an individual or community and should be taken seriously.
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“We have worked hard alongside local organisations and community groups to encourage people to come forward if they experience or witness hate crime, and increased reporting can be a positive sign that victims have confidence they will be listened to and supported.
“Racially aggravated offences continue to make up the largest proportion of reported hate crime across Worcestershire. We remain focused on identifying those responsible, supporting victims and helping to prevent incidents from occurring in the first place through education, engagement, and enforcement.
HOPE: Cllr Sarah Murray says the rise in racially motivated crime is of particular concern but believes Worcester remains a tolerant city (Image: Liberal Democrats)
“We would always encourage anyone who experiences or witnesses hate crime to report it. Even where incidents may seem minor, reporting helps us identify patterns, target resources effectively and take action where offences have been committed. Information from the public plays a vital role in helping us protect vulnerable people and ensure our communities remain welcoming and inclusive for everyone.”
Worcester is still ‘tolerant city’
Cllr Sarah Murray, the Liberal Democrat crime spokesperson, said: “I have always thought of Worcester as a tolerant and welcoming city, and I hope I am still right in thinking that. I believe the vast majority of people here treat their neighbours with kindness and respect.
“But the actions of a few can cause enormous harm. Behind these figures are people who have been targeted because of who they are, and we must never dismiss or minimise what they have experienced.
“The rise in recorded racially motivated hate crime in Worcester over the last two years particularly concerns me. Nobody should feel frightened or unwelcome in their own community. Being a welcoming city means standing up for those targeted, supporting them and making clear that this behaviour has no place here.”
Worcester MP – social media to blame for crisis
Worcester’s Labour MP Tom Collins said: “Most of us will find it concerning to see figures rising for hate crimes, with a distinct uptick in the last year – and I think it’s important to recognise that these figures only tell part of the story – many people are feeling increasingly unsafe in our communities, regardless of how many crimes get reported.
“In my work in Parliament, it’s becoming really clear that the online world is getting more toxic, that online spaces are driving people down dark paths, and that algorithms are showing us stories that make us angry, frightened, or that the world is becoming chaotic and out of control.
“This isn’t an accident – it is built into the design of social platforms to keep us engaged and locked in to scrolling and living through our phones. For me, this is a national crisis. It’s not just about online content, and it’s not just affecting children and teens; it’s impacting all of us and our whole society.”
EDUCATION: Cllr Alex Mace believes anti-racism training should be rolled out to councillors and said the rise in hate crime was ‘concerning’ (Image: Supplied by the Green Party)
Mr Collins has written a white paper about how we can make online platforms, and AI companies, responsible for their products- just like the makers of anything else we buy or consume are responsible for making it safe.
Called ‘Digital Product Safety’, he said it would mean moving away from bans, and to a system where every digital product has to meet safety standards before it can go online.
Community cohesion is ‘fragile’
Cllr Alex Mace, a city Green Party councillor, said the figures ‘should concern us all’ and has called for councillors to undertake ‘anti-racism training’ to help root it out.
He said: “Community cohesion is something that is hard to build, but extremely fragile.
“This month is Islamophobia Awareness Month, while October saw National Hate Crime Awareness Week and a week-long Jewish Living Experience display at the Guildhall.
“All Green Party members and councillors stand together with anyone experiencing discrimination, intimidation, or abuse, regardless of their faith, colour, gender identity, sexuality.
“It is not welcome in our city. I would like to see all councillors undertaking anti-racism training to help understand how discrimination is not just something that happens between people, but also is embedded in policies and organisations, so we can work together to root it out.”
