THE region's top police officer believes the Borders is bucking the post-Brexit hate crime surge.

But he revealed that five Polish nationals had been targeted in the region during a three month period earlier this year.

Superintendent Andy Clark was addressing the Scottish Borders Police, Fire and Safer Communities Board on Friday.

Despite an increase in foreign nationals being attacked in many areas across the UK, the Scottish Borders has seen its hate crime figures drop.

Supt Clark revealed that year on year the region had seen a 20 per cent fall in attacks due to race, religion or sexuality.

He said: "It has been well documented that there has been an increase in hate crime in parts of England but that has not been replicated in the Borders.

"We have not seen any rise in the number of crimes against foreign nationals."

From April up to the end of June this year police received complaints regarding 15 incidents of hate crime - 11 due to race.

But the figures also showed that five of the victims were Polish.

Councillor Donald Moffat, who chairs the Police, Fire and Safer Communities Board, doesn't believe the handful of incidents are of concern. He said: "We have had a large Polish community in the Borders since the second World War.

"They are an important part of our community and I'm pleased we don't have the type of situations here that we see elsewhere."

As well as 11 crimes due to race, there were three homophobic incidents and one attack due to religion in the first three months of 2016/17.

Chief Inspector Andy Mclean said: "Hate crime has fallen from 19 reports during the same period last year.

"I would like to think that less reports means there have been less incidents."