FOI 418160
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 418160
I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 30th June 2025. Please find below the response to your request:
I am requesting the following information covering the period from July 2021 to the most recent full calendar year available:
- The number of recorded homophobic hate crimes (i.e. those motivated by sexual orientation), broken down by:
- Year
- Offence type (e.g. harassment, assault, criminal damage) - The investigative outcomes for these offences for each year (e.g. charge, caution, no further action).
- The number of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) recorded in the same period where the motivation was related to sexual orientation.
- Any anonymised internal reports, summaries, or strategic documents produced since July 2021 that relate to homophobic hate crime trends, community safety, or policing response.
- A copy of your current operational hate crime policy or guidance, specifically covering how homophobic hate crimes and NCHIs are defined, recorded, and investigated.
Reply
Your request for information has been considered in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (“the Act”), and I am not obliged to provide the information requested.
S.12(1) of the Act states that a public authority is not obliged to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying with the request would exceed the “appropriate limit”. For police forces in England and Wales, the "appropriate limit" is £450 or 18 hours of work as set by the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
The information you have requested is not available in a readily retrievable format for question 4. There are over 5000 records. In order to ascertain whether the information you have requested is held would take in excess of 18 hours as each record would have to be checked individually.
In accordance with s.17(5) of the Act, this acts as a Refusal Notice.
However, In accordance with Section 16 of the Act I have a duty to provide advice and assistance in relation to your request and can provide the information requested for questions 1, 2, 3, 5 as this was retrieved during our initial research. This should not be taken as a precedent that additional information would be supplied outside of the time/fees legislation for any subsequent requests.
- The number of recorded homophobic hate crimes (i.e. those motivated by sexual orientation), broken down by:
- Year
- Offence type (e.g. harassment, assault, criminal damage)
|
Home Office offence sub-group |
Calendar Year |
Grand Total |
|||
|
2021 (Jul-Dec) |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
||
|
ARSON |
1 |
1 |
2 |
||
|
CRIMINAL DAMAGE |
4 |
18 |
21 |
8 |
51 |
|
MISC CRIMES AGAINST SOCIETY |
2 |
2 |
1 |
5 |
|
|
NON-NOTIFIABLE |
2 |
2 |
|||
|
OTHER OFFENCES PUBLIC ORDER |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
|
|
OTHER SEXUAL OFFENCES |
3 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
12 |
|
OTHER THEFT |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
|
POSSESSION OF WEAPONS |
1 |
1 |
2 |
||
|
PUBLIC FEAR, ALARM OR DISTRESS |
74 |
151 |
114 |
106 |
445 |
|
RACE OR RELIGIOUS AGG PUBLIC FEAR |
9 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
36 |
|
RAPE |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
ROBBERY OF PERSONAL PROPERTY |
2 |
1 |
3 |
||
|
STALKING AND HARASSMENT |
54 |
116 |
98 |
72 |
340 |
|
THEFT FROM THE PERSON |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
VIOLENCE WITH INJURY |
18 |
37 |
31 |
19 |
105 |
|
VIOLENCE WITHOUT INJURY |
24 |
52 |
28 |
30 |
134 |
|
Grand Total |
192 |
394 |
310 |
252 |
1,148 |
- The investigative outcomes for these offences for each year (e.g. charge, caution, no further action).
|
Police Outcomes |
Calendar Year |
Grand Total |
|||
|
2021 (Jul-Dec) |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
||
|
Type 1 - Charged/Summonsed/Postal Requisition |
6 |
21 |
24 |
30 |
81 |
|
Type 1A - Charged/Summons - alternate offence. Offender has been charged under the alternate offence rule. |
4 |
5 |
4 |
6 |
19 |
|
Type 2 - Caution Youth |
1 |
1 |
2 |
||
|
Type 3 - Caution Adult |
2 |
3 |
1 |
6 |
12 |
|
Type 3A - Caution Adult - alternate offence. Offender has been given a simple caution under the alternate offences rule. |
1 |
1 |
2 |
||
|
Type 6 - Penalty notice for disorder |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
Type 8 - Community resolution (Crime) |
4 |
3 |
2 |
9 |
|
|
Type 10 - Formal Action Against Offender is not in the Public Interest (Police) |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
Type 11 - Prosecution Prevented-Named Suspect Identified But Is Below The Age Of Criminal Responsibility |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
Type 12 - Prosecution Prevented-Named Suspect Identified But Is Too Ill (Physical Or Mental Health) To Prosecute, or confirmed died either before crime reported or before enough evidence to charge |
2 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
|
|
Type 14 - Evidential Difficulties Victim Based- Suspect Not Identified: Crime Confirmed But The Victim Either Declines Or Unable To Support Further Police Investigation To Identify The Offender |
27 |
38 |
37 |
17 |
119 |
|
Type 15 - Named Suspect Identified: Victim Supports Police Action But Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action |
26 |
87 |
68 |
36 |
217 |
|
Type 16 - Named Suspect Identified: Evidential Difficulties Prevent Further Action: Victim Does Not Support (Or Has Withdrawn Support From) Police Action |
70 |
138 |
95 |
87 |
390 |
|
Type 17 - Prosecution Time Limit Expired: Suspect Identified But Prosecution Time Limit Has Expired |
6 |
2 |
4 |
5 |
17 |
|
Type 18 - Investigation Complete; No Suspect Identified. Crime Investigated As Far As Reasonably Possible-Case Closed Pending Further Investigative Opportunities Becoming Available |
44 |
83 |
68 |
48 |
243 |
|
Type 20 - Further action resulting from the crime report will be undertaken by another body or agency subject to the victim (or person acting on their behalf) being made aware of the act to be taken |
2 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
9 |
|
Type 21 - Further investigation resulting from crime report which could provide evidence sufficient to support formal action against the suspect is not in the public interest - police decision. |
1 |
1 |
2 |
||
|
Type 22 - Diversionary, educational or intervention activity, resulting from the crime report, has been undertaken and it is not in the public interest to take any further action. |
4 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
12 |
|
Pending/under investigation |
7 |
7 |
|||
|
Grand Total |
192 |
394 |
310 |
252 |
1,148 |
- The number of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs) recorded in the same period where the motivation was related to sexual orientation.
|
Calendar Year |
Total |
|
2021 (Jul-Dec) |
23 |
|
2022 |
41 |
|
2023 |
31 |
|
2024 |
24 |
|
Grand Total |
119 |
5.A copy of your current operational hate crime policy or guidance, specifically covering how homophobic hate crimes and NCHIs are defined, recorded, and investigated.
The Hate Crime Policy has already been published and can be found: