Hate crime on the rise after Brexit vote

South Yorkshire Police urged victims to report incidents to them so that it can tackle the issue.

A spokesman for the force’s senior leadership team said: “We are aware of concerns within our communities about a rise in incidents of religious and racial abuse following the recent EU referendum.

“We are also aware that due to the nature of this type of crime that people don’t always feel that they can or that they want to tell police. As a result, incidents can go unreported.

“We are urging anyone affected by hate crime or who is a victim of abuse to report it to us.

“It doesn’t have to be directed at you, you can still report it to us or to one of our third party reporting centres.

“Reporting can make a big difference — as well as helping to prevent someone else from being a victim, it helps us to understand what is going on in our communities and the best way for us to respond.

“South Yorkshire Police will not tolerate hate crime or hate-related incidents and we are committed to tackling hostility aimed at someone because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender or disability.

“Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their communities and we are working with our partners to tackle hate crime head on and bring those responsible to justice.”

To report an incident call South Yorkshire Police on 101.