(Edinburgh, Scotland) An examination of police complaints across Scotland reveals a tripling of hate crimes against members of the LGBT community, The Daily Record newspaper reported Monday.

The paper said that the situation may be worse than what it uncovered. A spokesperson for one police force admitted to The Record that it does not keep records on crimes based on the victim’s sexuality.

Of those forces which do keep records, the number of hate crimes has jumped from only a handful three years ago to the hundreds this year. The worst area was Strathclyde, where 50 crimes were reported in 2005, but so far this year, 216 have been reported.

One Glasgow gay man whose name was withheld by the paper said that he has been victimized several times.

“We may be in the 21st century, but being gay still makes you a target in some places,” he told The Daily Record. “I am not surprised that hate crime has been rising. It is just the tip of the iceberg though, because I know lots of people won’t even bother going to the police.”

Scottish civil rights leaders called the results of the study “horrific” and “appalling.”

“The number of attacks is horrific. There is no place for hate crime in a modern Scotland,” said Calum Irving, director of Stonewall Scotland.

“That’s why we’re fighting for legislation to make sure courts take hate crime seriously. There is still a massive problem of under-reporting. Police forces need to take it seriously, record these crimes properly and make it clear to the LGBT community that they can trust the police and that hate crime will not be tolerated,” Irving told the paper.

Morag Alexander, Scotland commissioner with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, also called for adoption of civil rights protections for gays.

“These appalling figures only serve to reinforce the need for the legislation being put forward in the Scottish parliament,” he told the Daily Record. “This will give judges the powers to take into account homophobic or prejudiced motivations when passing sentence, making sure the punishment fits the crime.

“This isn’t about being politically correct,” said Alexander. “It is about ensuring we send a very clear message to Scotland this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”