THE Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner is encouraging more people to report hate crime.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates that only 40 per cent of all hate crimes come to the attention of the police but John Dwyer wants to increase this figure.

John said: “I’m delighted to see that the number of reported hate crimes has increased from 365 in 2011/12 to 535 in 2012/13.

“I urge people who have been victims of this type of hate crime to have the confidence to come forward and report it.”

Deborah Ardern, the Hate Crime Coordinator for Cheshire Constabulary added: “We have been working with the minority communities in Cheshire to improve their confidence and ensure that incidents of hate crime are reported to the police.”

Cheshire Constabulary has established a number of community reporting centres.

More information about community reporting centres and other ways to report hate crime can be found on cheshire.police.uk