Hate crimes being reported on East Ayrshire trains are on the rise according to new figures.
East Ayrshire has seen the biggest rise of reported hate crimes in 2019/20 with a shocking 110 reports made, which is six up from the previous year. However, it has the lowest reported hate crimes figures overall for all of the Ayrshire area.
Meanwhile, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire have seen a slight decrease in reported hate crimes.
North Ayrshire had a total of 135 reported hate crimes in 2019/20, five fewer reported crimes since 2018/19. But despite the decrease, it still has the highest number of reported hate crimes in the region.
North Ayrshire's lowest reported year of 115 was in 2016/17.
South Ayrshire has the lowest reported hate crime figures for Ayrshire, sitting at 71 for 2019/20 which saw a big drop of 30 fewer from the previous year.
The Scottish Government data revealed that since 2017/18, the number of hate crime incidents on trains on the basis of sexuality increased from 24 to 36 in 2021/22 (from April 21 to Jan 2022) – a 50 per cent increase.
West Scotland Conservative MSP Jamie Greene has expressed his concern over the 676 reported hate crimes since 2017.
Mr Greene raised the increase directly with the Scottish Government’s minister for transport in the Holyrood chamber.
Speaking to Jenny Gilruth MSP, Mr Greene stated: "In the past five years, 676 instances of hate crime have been reported on our trains, and a third of them were directed towards those in the LGBT community."
Responding, Jenny Gilruth spoke about how she plans to tackle the issue of hate crimes on trains.
She said: "It is right that those groups, which are often vulnerable anyway, feel safe on public transport, and the government has a responsibility there.
"I have spoken about my concerns about women’s experiences of public transport in particular. It is important that the government takes an intersectional approach and recognises the minority groups about which Jamie Greene has spoken.
"In my statement, I set out some of my plans for a national conversation. That endeavour is about speaking not just to political parties, but to trade unions, charities and third sector organisations.
"I am keen to meet justice officials on that specific issue. Tess White asked about the prosecution of crimes that are committed on public transport. Those statistics sit with justice, and I am keen to meet the cabinet secretary for justice and veterans to ensure a joined-up approach to delivering our vision for Scotland’s railways and ensuring that we protect the most vulnerable, as Jamie Greene has highlighted."
Commenting after the Holyrood conversation, Mr Greene said: “Everyone has the right to use public transport without fear of physical assault or verbal abuse, which is why it’s so concerning that hate crimes against certain groups is increasing.
“It’s welcome that people are reporting this abuse, but that has to be matched by robust action which serves as a deterrent.
“This time next year I hope we are talking about how much the situation has improved, rather than about another increase.”
A spokesperson for the British Transport Police (BTP), said: “The increase in hate crime offences may be attributed to greater reporting – with more people having the confidence to report it to us using our discreet text service and knowing they will be taken seriously.
"The service allows the public, who might be in a position where they don’t want to draw attention to themselves, to report non-emergency incidents on the railway network 24/7.
“Preventing and tackling hate crime is a BTP priority. We have highly visible patrols and dedicated operations across the railway to ensure the safety and security of passengers and staff. In the rare instances where incidents do happen, we're ready to respond and have access to CCTV across the network which often give us vital evidence to identify suspects and make arrests.
“We’re proud that our officers and staff come from all walks of life and we believe everyone has the right to travel safely. We won’t tolerate behaviour where someone is targeted because of who they are or made to feel uncomfortable on their journey.
“The majority of people using and working across the network will be safe and secure, however, we strongly encourage anyone that is a victim of, or witness to, a hate crime to report it to us by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40. We take these incidents extremely seriously.”
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