Achi news desk-
In the first week of the new legislation, Police Scotland said they received 7,152 reports of online hate crime.
New data released by them shows that there was a sharp drop in the number of reports during the second week since it was introduced.
A total of 1832 hate reports were received online between Monday 8 April and Sunday 14 April, with the majority being received anonymously. A large number of reports against the new legislation were assessed and rejected.
The police confirmed that fewer hate crimes were recorded in the second week.
They confirmed 213 reported hate crimes, down from 240 in the new laws in the first week.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: “We have seen a significant reduction in the number of online hate reports, and these continue to be managed within our contact centers with minimal impact on frontline policing .
“All complaints received are reviewed by officers, supported by dedicated hate crime advisers, and dealt with appropriately, whether that is progressed for further assessment, or closed by who do not meet the criteria under the legislation”.
READ MORE:
Explanation: What are Scotland’s new Hate Crime Laws?
Scotland’s employment rate is rising according to the latest statistics
The new laws have been a controversial subject in the nation with many prominent critics speaking out against it. The famously outspoken Scottish author, JK Rowling feared it could criminalize those who criticize the Scottish Government’s policy on gender recognition.
She made a number of social media posts on the first day the law was in force misgendering a number of trans people, effectively challenging Police Scotland to charge her.
But Police Scotland took no action saying Ms Rowling’s posts were “not assessed to be criminal”.
Detailed slides of Police Scotland data also revealed that there were a total of 55 non-crime hate incidents, with 25 recorded in the second week of April.
The data shows that since it was introduced on Easter Monday, the majority of recorded hate crimes have been race-related, with 240 incidents recorded. There were 14 hate crimes related to transgenderism, 33 related to religion, 38 related to age, 61 related to disability, and 79 related to sexual orientation.
