A police chief has warned that hate crimes have a “devastating ripple effect” on County Durham communities following a rise in incidents, writes Local Democracy Reporter Bill Edgar.
Joy Allen, Durham’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), said the abuse will not be tolerated following social unrest and disorder around the country in recent months.
A hate crime is an offence targeting someone’s race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or disability.
In County Durham, there were a total of 1,000 incidents in the 12 months between October 2024 and September 2025. Incidents also increased from 520 to 540 in the first seven months of this year (January to July) compared to 2024.
The latest data from Durham Constabulary comes after the Home Office reported a rise in hate crimes linked to race and religion in 2024/25.
PCC Joy Allen said: “While I am pleased that people are reporting, every incident of hate crime is one too many and has a devastating ripple effect on our communities as well as victims and their families.
“Hate of any kind divides our communities and causes people to feel excluded, isolated and unsafe. Our force area is a warm, tolerant and welcoming one, and I am proud of its diversity. I will not tolerate anyone who seeks to divide us.”
Durham police data shows 396 of the reported hate crime incidents involved violence between October 2024 and September 2025.
Earlier this year, tensions were further stoked across communities by a series of anti-immigration rallies and hate-related graffiti. Racially or religiously aggravated criminal damage reports hit a high of 11 in August this year.
However, just 238 (23.8%) of the 1,000 reported incidents were classed as ‘resolved’, with the remaining 789 either unresolved or closed.
PCC Allen encouraged all victims to contact the police with any concerns.
“Encouraging the reporting of hate crimes is a key priority for me, and I am working hard with partners to build confidence and trust in our investigative approaches and support services to ensure victims understand how seriously these crimes are taken by the police and reach out for help,” she said.
A leaflet aimed at tackling misinformation about immigration and asylum seekers was recently backed by three PCCs across the North East.
PCC Allen added: “I fund a wealth of specialist services to support victims of hate as they recover from their experiences and continue to invest in resources and campaigns to encourage reporting and spread the zero-tolerance message. This includes recently supporting the launch of a Migrant Myth-Busting leaflet to tackle misinformation in our communities.
“There is absolutely no room for prejudice or hostility in our force area, and I want to make it clear that anyone committing crimes motivated by such harmful attitudes will feel the full force of the law.”
Bill Edgar
Reporter for the Local Democracy Reporter Service.
