Gateshead Community Cohesion Strategy 2026 to 2031

Hate crime is a significant barrier to community cohesion, as it undermines trust, safety, and belonging. Including hate crime data in this strategy helps us understand the scale and nature of harm affecting our communities and ensures our actions are informed by evidence.

Hate crime refers to any criminal offence perceived by the victim or others to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a protected characteristic. Under UK law, these characteristics are race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity.

In addition to these five legal categories, Northumbria Police also monitor hate crimes related to sex and age, recognising that prejudice can affect people in multiple ways, however these characteristics are not included within the statutory hate crime framework, meaning there is no specific provision for enhanced sentencing where offences are motivated by hostility based on sex or age. Despite this, we recognise that hostility and prejudice related to sex and age, including misogyny, gender-based hostility, and age-based discrimination, can have a significant impact on individuals and communities. These behaviours, whether criminal or not, can undermine community safety, confidence, and community cohesion. 

Additionally, Gateshead Council acknowledges care-experienced people as a locally protected characteristic, reflecting our commitment to inclusion and ensuring this is embedded in our policies and decision-making.

National context

Home Office Hate Crime Data, year ending March 2025 (opens new window)

• in the year ending March 2025, there were approximately 137,550 hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales, this represents a slight decrease from previous years, following several years of increases
• 3% of all recorded offences were identified as being hate crime
• race-related hate crimes continue to be the most common, accounting for around 70% of all hate crimes
• religious hate crimes have seen increases, particularly in the context of international conflicts and rising community tensions
• there was a 19% increase in hate crimes targeted at Muslims in 2025, with a spike seen following the Southport murders and subsequent disorder.
• The Home Office notes that while police-recorded hate crime data is valuable, it may underrepresent the true scale due to underreporting and changes in recording practices

Local context

• hate crime reports in the Northumbria Police force area have increased significantly over the past decade, rising from 626 in 2011/12 to a peak of 3983 in 2023/24 with levels remaining high in 2024/25 at 3905
• the majority of offences are racially motivated (around two-thirds of all recorded hate crime), but there has also been sustained growth in sexual orientation and disability-related hate crime over time
• while overall numbers have stabilised in recent years, they remain substantially higher than pre-2015 levels, indicating ongoing challenges for community cohesion and the need for preventative and protective action