THE UK's decision to leave the EU coincided with a spike in hate crimes across Cumbria, new figures have revealed.

Between July and September last year, 33 out of 44 police forces in England recorded higher numbers of hate crime being reported.

In Cumbria, there was a 14 per cent increase during that three-month period, prompting police to vow they will not become "complacent."

Detective chief inspector Paul Duhig of Cumbria Constabulary said: "The figures show that Cumbria has seen less of an increase in hate crime than most other areas of the country. However, we are not complacent about the issue and any increase in such offences is concerning. We are also aware that hate crime is traditionally an offence which is under-reported and we would encourage anyone who has been a victim to make contact."

Cumbria recorded a lower increase in hate crime compared to other parts of England. The highest increase was in Dorset, where 104 crimes were reported representing a 100 per cent increase.

The National Police Chiefs' Council lead for hate crime, assistant chief constable Mark Hamilton, said spikes in hate crime were linked to the Brexit vote and other incidents, such as terror attacks in the US and France.

He said: "There is increased awareness, and that's part of the strategy, and associated to that, increased reporting.

"But we also accept that, given the spike that occurred after the referendum, there would have been increased incidents of this type of behaviour, and we have seen this occur in correlation with national or international issues; these sort of spikes that occur in the actual occurrence and reporting of hate crimes."

When asked about the link between Brexit and the increase in hate crime, Mr Hamilton said: "We did say at the time that some people had felt that the referendum had given them a licence to carry out additional hate crime activity, which is entirely, entirely to be condemned."

This is not the first time Cumbria has been in the spotlight for hate crime. Last year it was reported that between 2014-2015, there were 300 hate crimes recorded in the county, 64 per cent of which were racist.

In light of this information, Cumbria Constabulary has urged anyone who is the victim of a hate crime to come forward so that any allegations can be fully investigated.

Det Ch Insp Duhig said: "Hate crimes can have a terrible and long-lasting impact on victims and such offences will not be tolerated in the county.

"We always urge people to report such offences to us as soon as possible and I can assure people that we will investigate any such allegation fully.

"In Cumbria, people have the option to report hate crimes online or by visiting one of the many Hate Crime Reporting Centres we have, located throughout the county. We are also looking at further initiatives to help improve the way hate crime is reported to us."

"Anyone who has witnessed or has information regarding hate crimes is urged to come forward and make contact with Cumbria Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."

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