MORE than 10,300 hate crimes were recorded by West Yorkshire Police (WYP) in the space of a year, latest figures show.

There were 10,366 offences recorded by the force in the 12 months to March, up from 10,351 the previous year.

WYP recorded 7,055 race hate crimes, 1,565 sexual orientation hate crimes, 1,447 disability hate crimes, 523 religious hate crimes and 328 transgender hate crimes.

Some offences are recorded as having more than one motivating factor.

The Metropolitan Police recorded the most hate crimes (a total of 24,612), followed by Greater Manchester Police (11,642), West Midlands Police (10,898) then WYP.

A WYP spokesperson said: "All hate crimes and incidents are investigated thoroughly.

"Not all cases will be put before the court, but when a hate incident is received the views of the victim are always considered.

"WYP works with partners to raise awareness of hate crime, increase reporting and support victims. 

"These include the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, working together on a joint Hate Hurts campaign, which highlights what hate crime is and what we are doing to help tackle it.  

"We work regularly with hate leads in West Yorkshire local authorities and other reporting services such as Bradford Hate Crime Alliance." 

According to the latest data provided to the Telegraph & Argus by the Bradford Hate Crime Alliance, there were 2,470 hate incidents reported to the police specifically in the Bradford district in 2021 to 2022, down from 2,598 in 2020 to 2021. 

Its statistics also show 78 per cent of victims said they were satisfied with the way their case was handled in 2021 to 2022, up from 75 per cent in 2020 to 2021.

Charles Dacres, director of Bradford Hate Crime Alliance, said: "It is encouraging to see that hate crime reporting is down in the Bradford district and that more victims are satisfied with the outcome of their cases.

"However, we know that hate crime is still a major problem in our district, and we are committed to working with our partners to do more to raise awareness and encourage people to report hate crimes."

He added that the hate crime reporting app Listen Bradford has been a valuable tool in making it easier for people to report such offences.

"We encourage everyone to download the app and use it to report any hate crimes or hate incidents they experience or witness," he added.