Police in England and Wales have recorded a record high in religiously-motivated hate crimes, with offences targeting Muslims rising by nearly a fifth over the past year. The Home Office highlighted a significant spike in these crimes following the Southport murders and subsequent riots last summer. While hate crimes against Jewish people fell by 18 percent, officials cautioned that figures exclude data from the Metropolitan Police, which accounts for a large proportion of such offences. Overall, hate crime numbers have increased slightly, with 115,990 offences recorded excluding the Metropolitan Police, up 2 percent from the previous year. Other categories, including those based on sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity, saw decreases. The Home Secretary condemned the rise in hate crime and announced increased funding and patrols to protect places of worship.