FOLLOWING the condemnation of racist abuse sent on social media to three England footballers after the Euro 2020 final, figures have revealed how racial hate crime has increased in the past four years.

Racist abuse was sent to footballers Marcus Rashford MBE, Jadon Sancho, and Bukayo Saka following the Euros final between England and Italy, when the trio missed penalties in the deciding shoot out.

The abuse has prompted police investigations across England and widespread condemnation from fellow players, England manager Gareth Southgate, and the FA President and future King, Prince William.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel also condemned the abuse, but they were lambasted by England player Tyrone Mings, who accused Patel of “stoking the fire” and “pretending to be disgusted”, and ex-England defender turned pundit Gary Neville was heavily critical of Mr Johnson.

Following the game, analysis of Home Office figures has revealed that in the year 2019/2020 there were 6,080 racial hate crimes reported to West Yorkshire Police, almost double the number four years earlier in 2015/16, when 3,054 reports were made.

Reports across England and Wales have also increased year on year, with more than 200 reports made a day of racial hate crimes in 2019/20.

The Home Office has said the rise is partly down to improvements in recording and awareness of hate crime, and West Yorkshire Police said the same.

Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson said: “We take all forms of hate crime seriously and we actively encourage victims to come forward and report these matters to us, either directly or through our partner agencies.

“We received an ‘outstanding’ grade for ethical crime recording practices when inspected recently by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), practices that ensure reports are captured accurately.

“Reports of hate crime have increased nationally in recent years, and in West Yorkshire this is no different.

“People have a greater awareness of hate crime now than they did in previous years and campaigns such as our ‘hate hurts’ initiative, our support of Hate Crime Awareness week have helped to educate the public about what a hate crime is, and how we and our partner agencies can help to support those affected.

“We believe this has made people feel more confident to report such matters.

“As well as having third party crime recording centres where people can report to partners if they feel more comfortable in doing so, working closely in this way with local authorities, Victim Support and community groups means we can provide the necessary support so those affected can report hate crime in many different ways.

“We have invested in hate crime co-ordinators in each of our districts, who assist investigating officers in identifying perpetrators, provide support for victims and increase awareness of hate crime.

“No one should have to live with the consequences of hate crime and we encourage people to report these incidents when they happen as this will help our officers to deal with it and prevent others being affected.

“Prompt reporting also helps our local teams to understand the extent of the issue in their area and means they are better prepared to respond to it.”

The charity Victim Support said it was “extremely saddened and appalled” by the abuse suffered by the three England football players following Sunday’s match.

Jo Parks, services director, said: “We’ve been concerned to see rising reports of race hate crime throughout the pandemic and have seen significant increases in the number of victims coming to us for support.

“These hate crimes have had a damaging impact on victims’ safety and sense of self-worth, which can take years to re-build.”

Home secretary Priti Patel has urged social media firms to take tougher action over racism ahead.

She said: “Racist abuse is utterly unacceptable and illegal, whether it takes place on or offline – those individuals who commit racist offences should rightly face the full force of the law.”