Race crimes up but 'not because of 7/7 backlash'

Prosecutions for race hate crimes soared by 28 per cent last year but a post 7/7 backlash against Muslims failed to materialise, a report said today.

Figures released by the Crown Prosecution Service show that 7,430 people were taken to court in 2005/6, compared with a total of 6,123 in the previous 12 months.

There was also an 18 per cent leap in prosecutions for religiouslyaggravated crimes with 51 offenders taken to court. Four out of five victims were Muslim, in cases where the person's faith was known.

Despite this, today's CPS report says that only 12 religiously aggravated crimes were reported in the month following last summer's London bombings and that a feared wave of retaliation against Muslims has not taken place.

Unveiling the figures, Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald said that greater efforts by police and prosecutors to bring racist offenders to justice appeared to be behind the sharp leap in court cases.

He promised a further drive to encourage Muslims and others who were victimised to come forward. "The CPS is determined to take a robust view of these cases," he said.