The Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia has committed to making the region "safe for all" by decisively targeting hate crime.

This pledge follows a significant decrease of 26 per cent in hate crime incidents over the past 12 months in the region.

Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion has injected an additional £50,000 investment into the 'i am ME!' project run by Victim Support until March 2025.

The Victim Support’s Hate Crime Engagement and Awareness Project, first launched in October 2022, educates the public about the impact of hate crime on victims and survivors.

Over the past year, nearly 400 members of the general public engaged to get a better understanding of the role they play in tackling hate crime.

There was 34 awareness and training sessions held in the area over the past year.

The impact of the project has been felt across the region with Herefordshire experiencing the most substantial reduction in hate crime incidents at 37 per cent.

This appears to show that more people are becoming part of changes to make other people feel safe in the community.

Mr Campion said: "During this Pride month, I remain committed to making West Mercia and its communities a safe place for all residents, without people feeling the fear of being a victim of hate crime because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, identity or disability.

"By ensuring this project continues into 2025, awareness of the impact hate crime has on its victims and the education members of the public will continue to undertake will progress, as well as more people feeling valued and empowered to report hate crimes to West Mercia Police.”

People can report a hate crime on the West Mercia Police website or call 101.

In cases of an emergency, dial 999.