Incidents of racism rise by one fifth

Published on Saturday 19 January 2008 19:14

THE number of racist incidents recorded by Scotland's biggest police force has increased by almost 20% in the past five years.

Figures just released by Strathclyde Police show that last year there were 1,853 such crimes in their region, compared with 1,259 in 2002.

During this period there was one murder which was classified as being racially motivated, however there were 10 attempted murders which police believe had a racial element.

Over the past 12 months, incidents have increased by 7.5% on the 2005/06 statistics. And when taken over a five-year period, the increase in incidents is 18.9%.

Following the murder of asylum seeker Firsat Dag in Glasgow's Sighthill district in August 2001 and the killing of Kriss Donald in the city's Pollokshaws area almost three years later, Strathclyde Police have worked closely with local authorities and community groups in a bid to reduce racial tensions.

The force has been praised for these efforts by various people, including the government's independent terrorism adviser, Lord Carlile.

However, some campaigners have claimed that the latest figures are just the "tip of the iceberg".

Following the foiled Glasgow Airport attacks last May, there were 258 reported racial attacks, 31 of which were linked to the would-be bombing, according to Strathclyde Police. This compared with an average figure of around 200 such incidents a month.