The number of racially and religiously motivated crimes reported to police in Norfolk last year fell - in stark contrast to record highs reported nationally.
The county was one of only five to buck the national trend, according to a new analysis of Home Office data which showed a five per cent fall in Norfolk, from 594 offences in 2020 to 564 in 2021.
The survey carried out by the PA news agency found that of 44 police forces in England and Wales, 39 reported a rise in race and religious hate crimes, with 34 areas seeing record highs.
Experts say that reaction to England's defeat at the Euro football championships last summer and the easing of Covid restrictions, along with improved recording of hate crimes, are likely to have contributed to the rise in offences across the UK.
Neighbouring county Lincolnshire also saw a reduction, but in Suffolk there was a slight rise to 496 offences, while in Cambridgeshire numbers were up 16pc to 917.
The offences - all of which are defined as hate crimes - include racially or religiously aggravated assault, harassment and criminal damage.
The National Police Chiefs' Council lead for hate crime, deputy chief constable Mark Hamilton, said: "Everyone has the right to live their lives without fear of being attacked for who they are, either physically or verbally."
Reduction follows increases driven by world events
The 2021 fall in offences in Norfolk comes against a background of race and religious hate crimes having risen by 44pc in Norfolk over the previous five years.
The Home Office said the upwards trend had been partially been driven by improvements in crime recording but also followed trigger events, including Brexit, Black Lives Matters protests and the arrival of refugees.
Independent charity Victim Support said the figures remain "seriously concerning" and fit a pattern for "spikes in hate crime linked to world events".
A spokesperson from the Equality and Human Rights Commission said: "More still needs to be done to improve the process and the quality of support for victims.
"This includes effective hate crime training for police forces and reform to ensure our hate crime laws are clear and easy to understand."
Football drives spike in race hate crimes
The data analysis shows there was a spike in offences between July and September, a period that coincided with the end of the Euro football championships, which saw England lose the final on July 11 in a penalty shootout with Italy.
Police made a number of arrests in the weeks following the final, after abusive posts on social media targeted England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka, all of whom missed penalties.
Among the religiously motivated offences recorded in 2021 were a spate of racist graffiti attacks outside mosques and synagogues in Norwich.
The series of attacks included a Jewish Star of David daubed outside a mental health support centre on Unthank Road, identifying it as a business with Jewish staff members, and political slogans and a swastika on the door of the Adat Yeshua Messianic Synagogue.
Meanwhile graffiti was sprayed onto the pavement close to Norwich Central Mosque and Islamic Community Centre on Aylsham Road.
Police - 'we take all reports seriously'
Norfolk police said it was pleased by the reduction in racially and religiously aggravated offences recorded in 2021 but added: “We would always encourage members of the public to report such offences”.
“We are keen to hear from people who are experiencing racially or religiously aggravated victimisation and will take all such reports seriously,” said a spokesperson.
Recording of online hate crimes may have been higher in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions, they added.
And the force is adopting measures to deal with such incidents “to make sure, as far as possible, that people are not repeat victims of these often impactive crimes”.
• To report a hate incident, call 999 in an emergency, 101 for non-emergencies or use Norfolk police’s online reporting tool
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