Publication date:
The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has published its annual statistical bulletin: ‘Cases Involving Hate Crime 2024/25’.
The bulletin captures data from the 2024/25 financial year and therefore includes statistics relating to public disorder in the summer of 2024. It does not include statistics relating to recent public disorder in Ballymena and elsewhere in June, 2025.
The bulletin is set out in two parts, reflecting the two distinct definitions applied in cases involving hate crime, as recorded by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and the PPS. In Part One key statistics are presented in relation to cases involving hate crime submitted to the PPS by the PSNI, while in Part Two key statistics are presented in relation to cases considered by a Prosecutor to have involved hate crime which was ‘aggravated by hostility’.
The key findings include:
Part One: Cases Involving Hate Crime Submitted by the PSNI
- During the 2024/25 financial year, the PPS received 389 files involving hate crime. This was an increase of 49 on 2023/24 (340).
- Of the 389 files received in 2024/25, 183 (47%) related to racial crimes, with a further 83 files (21.3%) relating to sectarian crimes.
- The majority of files received fell into the category ‘violence against the person’ (53.2%). The number of cases involving violent offences decreased by 5.9%, from 220 in 2023/24 to 207 in 2024/25.
- Prosecutorial decisions were issued in respect of 456 persons, a decrease of 6.2% on 2023/24 (486).
- All 11 defendants dealt with in the Crown Court were convicted of at least one offence, while the conviction rate in the Magistrates’ and Youth Courts was 73.2%.
Part Two: Cases Considered by a PPS Prosecutor to have Involved Hate Crime which was ‘Aggravated by Hostility’
- The PPS issued 296 prosecutorial decisions in 2024/25, of which nearly four-fifths (79.4%) were for prosecution (220) or diversion from the courts (15). This compared with the 281 prosecutorial decisions issued in 2023/24, of which 79% were for prosecution (192) or diversion from the courts (30).
- The majority of the 296 decisions in 2024/25 related to offences which were either aggravated on the basis of race (151) or religion (98). 30 decisions related to offences aggravated on the basis of sexual orientation. The remaining decisions related to offences aggravated on the basis of disability or multiple motivations.
- 14 of the 15 defendants dealt with in the Crown Court in 2024/25 were convicted of at least one offence. Almost four-fifths (79.9%) of those dealt with in the Magistrates’ and Youth Courts were convicted, more than in 2023/24 (77.5%).
- Of the total of 169 defendants convicted during 2024/25, 43 were recorded as having received an enhanced sentence due to the aggravating feature of their offence(s).
The Bulletin can be found on the PPS website.
Reflecting on the bulletin, the Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Herron said: “We have seen an increase in the volume of files submitted to the Public Prosecution Service by Police relating to hate crime, and an increase in cases aggravated by hostility. This potentially reflects evolving societal issues which have resulted in increased incidents of prejudice and hostility in our communities.
“We can assure the public that where cases meet our Test for Prosecution, they are prosecuted at their height. The PPS is committed to robustly prosecuting hate crime cases and we are working with partners across the justice system to ensure that hostility based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or disability is confronted wherever it arises.
“A specialist team of prosecutors was formed in the summer of 2024, led by the Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, to deal with an increase in files following that year’s public disorder, and it is assuring to see these cases progressing quickly and successfully through the Magistrates’ and Crown Court with strong conviction rates.
“Any individuals convicted of crimes aggravated by hostility can expect to receive an enhanced sentence and this will hopefully act as a strong deterrent to those who plan to engage in these abhorrent crimes in the future.”
Notes to Editors
- The statistical information provided in this bulletin includes caseloads, prosecutorial decisions and outcomes of prosecutions at court. Figures are provided for the full 2024/25 financial year (i.e. 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025), and include comparisons with the equivalent period in 2023/24.
- This summary should be read in conjunction with the explanatory notes and definitions provided.
- These are ‘Official Statistics’ as defined in Section 6 of the Statistics and Registration Services Act 2007. Statisticians from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency are seconded to the PPS and are responsible for ensuring that the statistics produced comply with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. All statistics for the current financial year have been finalised.
- The PPS Hate Crime Policy can be found on our website.
- For media enquiries please contact the PPS Press Office ppspressoffice@ppsni.gov.uk