British police see surge in religious hate crimes over past two years, new data shows

Police officers stand on guard outside a house in Prestwich, north Manchester, believed to be the home of Jihad al-Shamie, who killed two and wounded a further three at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue. Photo / Paul Currie / AFP

Religious hate crime has surged in England and Wales over the past two years amid rising community tensions stoked by Hamas’ attack on Israel in October 2023 and the ensuing war in Gaza.

Police reported 10,065 offences targeting religion in the year ending March 2025, according to Home Office figures released today.

That tally marks a slight drop from the previous reporting year but is about a fifth higher than the year to March 2023.

However, the Home Office warned that this year’s data isn’t comparable to figures from previous years because of a change in the way London’s Metropolitan Police Service - the country’s biggest force - tracks hate crimes.

The statistics sound the alarm about growing unrest within communities across the United Kingdom.

They came to a boil last week when a Briton of Syrian descent launched a deadly knife-and-vehicle attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

Counter-terrorism police said Jihad al-Shamie - who was shot dead by officers at the scene - may have been influenced by “extreme Islamist ideology”.

There have been sharp rises in crimes against both Jews and Muslims in the two years since March 2023, according to the statistics.

The Hamas attack that sparked the wider conflict in Gaza took place on October 7, 2023.

Religious hate crimes targeted at Muslims have risen almost a third to 4478 over the two years, according to the data.

Crimes against Jews almost doubled to 2873 over the same period.

The Home Office said the previous software used to record crime may have inflated older data - suggesting the rises between 2022-23 and now may be even greater.

- With assistance from Siraj Datoo.

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