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 Bob Wylie reports"Recorded race complaints have gone up recently"  real 28k Grampian Chief Constable Andrew Brown"It would be wrong to think we are starting from scratch"  real 28k |
Police launch racism strategy
Police are dealing with a record number of incidents
Scotland's chief constables have outlined their strategy for dealing with the increasing number of racially-motivated crimes.
The number of recorded race offences has risen sharply in Scotland despite efforts to highlight the problem.
The number of recorded race offences has risen sharply in Scotland despite efforts to highlight the problem.
 I think at grass roots level there's an enormous amount of very good work being done  |
Grampian chief constable Andrew Brown |
A paper, from the Association of Chief Police Officers, deals with all aspects of how the police should deal with race crime, including complaints about racism within their own ranks.
It sets targets for the recruitment of police officers from ethnic minority backgrounds and for better reporting and investigation of race incidents.
Statistics released last month showed that the number of reported racially-motivated crimes in Strathclyde between April and December had risen by nearly 75% to 616. In Lothian, the figure was 354, up 60%.
'Common themes'
One of the authors, Grampian chief constable Andrew Brown, said: "Each chief constable is his own man.
"It would be difficult to make a single policy that would operate throughout Scotland but there are many common themes."
He insisted that Scotland's eight forces were making progress and they recognised that more work needed to be done.
But he added: "I think at grass roots level there's an enormous amount of very good work being done."
Senior officers say the rise in recorded race crimes is a measure of the extent of such offences and of the public's growing confidence in coming forward to lodge complaints.
Justice Minister Jim Wallace said: "We all know that there has been a failure in the past to translate high-level strategies such as this into practical measures on the ground.
"I am determined that that will not happen with the Lawrence inquiry.
Macpherson response
There will be efforts to stamp out what the Macpherson Report called "institutionalised racism" within police forces.
New targets will be set, including the recruitment of more police officers from ethnic communities.
Commenting last month on the rise in his force area, Strathclyde chief constable John Orr said: "The latest figures are of great concern because they indicate a disturbing and unacceptable level of racist crime within our community. "It certainly appears that people are becoming more inclined to report racial incidents of whatever nature to the police than ever before.
"I firmly believe that the wide-ranging revision of our Race Relations Policy in July 1997 has played a key part in the successive annual increases in recorded race crime in Strathclyde by encouraging ethnic communities to tell us about racial crime."
In a separate move, Scottish judges are being issued with guidance on handling racial equality matters.
The booklet, "Race and the Courts - a short guide", has been produced by the Judicial Studies Board for England and Wales.
The Judicial Studies Committee for Scotland has agreed, as an interim measure, to issue the booklet to Scottish judges and sheriffs ahead of Scottish guidance on the subject.
It sets targets for the recruitment of police officers from ethnic minority backgrounds and for better reporting and investigation of race incidents.
Statistics released last month showed that the number of reported racially-motivated crimes in Strathclyde between April and December had risen by nearly 75% to 616. In Lothian, the figure was 354, up 60%.
'Common themes'
One of the authors, Grampian chief constable Andrew Brown, said: "Each chief constable is his own man.
"It would be difficult to make a single policy that would operate throughout Scotland but there are many common themes."
He insisted that Scotland's eight forces were making progress and they recognised that more work needed to be done.
 Ethnic communities "have more confidence" |
Senior officers say the rise in recorded race crimes is a measure of the extent of such offences and of the public's growing confidence in coming forward to lodge complaints.
Justice Minister Jim Wallace said: "We all know that there has been a failure in the past to translate high-level strategies such as this into practical measures on the ground.
"I am determined that that will not happen with the Lawrence inquiry.
Macpherson response
There will be efforts to stamp out what the Macpherson Report called "institutionalised racism" within police forces.
New targets will be set, including the recruitment of more police officers from ethnic communities.
Commenting last month on the rise in his force area, Strathclyde chief constable John Orr said: "The latest figures are of great concern because they indicate a disturbing and unacceptable level of racist crime within our community. "It certainly appears that people are becoming more inclined to report racial incidents of whatever nature to the police than ever before.
"I firmly believe that the wide-ranging revision of our Race Relations Policy in July 1997 has played a key part in the successive annual increases in recorded race crime in Strathclyde by encouraging ethnic communities to tell us about racial crime."
In a separate move, Scottish judges are being issued with guidance on handling racial equality matters.
The booklet, "Race and the Courts - a short guide", has been produced by the Judicial Studies Board for England and Wales.
The Judicial Studies Committee for Scotland has agreed, as an interim measure, to issue the booklet to Scottish judges and sheriffs ahead of Scottish guidance on the subject.
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