Scotland Yard was yesterday accused of failing victims of hate crime as figures obtained by the Evening Standard revealed a “shocking” fall in prosecutions.
The number of people facing police action for hate crimes in London has dropped by 13% in the past five years — despite the number of recorded offences rocketing 72% during the same period.
Campaigners described the new figures as a “wake-up call” both for police and communities in the capital.
The data shows that the total number of hate crimes recorded by the Met jumped from 9,455 in 2011 to 16,296 last year.
However, the number of offences that led to police action fell from 3,931 to 3,418. It means that the Met acted in 41% of cases in 2011 - but only 21% in 2015.
All categories of hate crime — including racist, religious, homophobic, transgender and disability-related incidents — saw a fall in prosecutions.
Human rights activist Peter Tatchell said: “These statistics blow out of the water the idea that London is safe for LGBT people and that the police are bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“Most anti-LGBT criminals get away with their hate crimes. It is a wake-up call to the police and the LGBT community.”
A spokesman for gay rights charity Stonewall said: “While we can’t be certain if a rise in reported homophobic hate crime indicates a rise in incidents or increased confidence in reporting these crimes — or both — there is no denying the decrease in cases that are taken forward in court.
“This is disappointing, and must be addressed. We must unpick what the issues are here to ensure that LGBT people feel more confident in reporting hate crimes.”
Omar Khan, director of race equality think-tank the Runnymede Trust, said: “While it is good to see some data released, those affected need assurances and evidence that when they do report a hate crime they will have some sort of effective response.”
Scotland Yard said the rise in recorded offences showed a greater willingness of victims to come forward but was also due to “world events”. In December the Met, led by commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, revealed that the number of Islamophobic incidents in the capital more than tripled in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.
Chief Superintendent Dave Stringer, head of the Met’s community engagement team, said a possible reason for the fall in prosecutions was a rise in the recording of non-violent incidents. “We’re seeing more people report non-violent offences such as an exchange of words,” he added. “Often these are cases where the victim doesn’t know the offender and it is more difficult to capture evidence.”
He said that the exception was racist attacks on public transport and that police were working more closely with Transport for London on tackling the issue.
In November Simone Joseph, 36, admitted causing racially aggravated distress after subjecting a pregnant Muslim woman and her two friends to a tirade of abuse on a bus in Brent.
Joseph, of Willesden Green, was given a 16-week suspended jail sentence after Hendon magistrates heard she accused her victims of supporting Islamic State. She said she would kick the pregnant woman in the stomach so she would never have children, the court heard.
Stringer said the Met had boosted the number of specialist hate crime investigators to 900 and added: “We have reviewed our hate crime policy, placing extra focus on evidence-gathering and technology.” It is also rolling out disability hate crime awareness training.