Exclusive: Racial & Religious hate crimes hit three year high in Norfolk
This comes as figures from Norfolk Police shows that the total number of hate crime incidents fell to it's lowest point since 2015, last year
Last updated 2nd Mar 2026
We can exclusively reveal that the number of racial and religious hate crimes in Norfolk hit a three year high, last year
This comes despite Norfolk Police's data showing that the total number of these incidents fell to it's lowest point since 2015, in 2025.
While there was a slight uptick in the number of charges recorded over this time.
"Why is this happening to me and why now"
Shannon Rivers lives in Norwich and was a victim of this hate crime in 2025:
"I was just driving along in my car and I had an interaction with somebody at the tail-end of last year and they called me the 'N-word' because they thought that I'd cut them up.
"My children were in the car at this time with me and having to explain to them what happened to them was difficult, as well.
"I found it a little bit like...why is this happening to me and why now.
"The last time I had something like this happen to me in Norfolk was back in 2007. I thought it had gone away, honestly".
"It personally gave me more resolve to address these issues and call them out"
Dr Oren Margolis works at the University of East Anglia is Jewish:
"A few years ago there was an accusation against me and a few other people online that we supported the killing of Palestinian professors in Gaza. The only common denomination is that we were all Jewish.
"It personally gave me more resolve to address these issues and call them out.
"The county and people living in it ought to think about how it wants to be perceived. Does it want to continue being a fairly tolerant place or does it want to be seen as a place where people think of leaving?"
The numbers in full:
What has Norfolk Police said?
"There isn’t any place in our communities for hatred and intolerance. We know hate crimes can have real and lasting effects on individuals, their families, communities and society as a whole. We take these types of crime seriously and will investigate all reports, working with partners to support victims.
It’s important that communities stand together with the police in tackling hostility or prejudice and we would encourage anybody who is the victim of hate crime or witnesses it to report it to the police either online or by phone: How to report hate crime | Norfolk Constabulary"
Links to support:
-Norfolk and Suffolk Victim care