THE number of online hate reports being received by Police Scotland has dropped by almost 75% in the second week since the introduction of new hate crime legislation.
Management data released by Police Scotland shows there were 1832 online hate reports received between April 8 and 14, down from the 7152 recorded the previous week.
The vast majority of reports received during this period were anonymous, Police Scotland has said, and it added that these were assessed against the new legislation and no further action is being taken.
There were 213 hate crimes recorded in the same period, down from 240 the previous week.
Police also recorded 25 non-hate crime incidents, five fewer than between April 1 and 7, 2024.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “We have seen a significant reduction in the number of online hate reports and these continue to be managed within our contact centres 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 being progressed for further assessment, or closed as they do not meet the criteria under the legislation.”
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It comes after Humza Yousaf responded to the Scottish Tories’ bid to repeal Scotland’s new hate crime laws.
When asked if this should be done, he told the BBC “not at all” and added that a number of “bad faith actors” had put in “vexatious complaints in order to try waste police time”.
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