Racist incidents on the rise in Scotland

Statistics released by the Scottish Government showed there were 5,123 racist incidents recorded by the country's eight police forces in 2008-09, compared to 4,519 for the 2004-05 period.

Race hate victims were most likely to be of Pakistani origin, with 48 per cent of all those targeted in 2008-09 classed as Asian, followed by white British.

The majority of victims, 76 percent, were men. Men aged 26 to 35 and women aged 36 to 50 were most likely to be targeted.

Most incidents, 32 per cent, took place on the streets during the winter months, peaking on Saturdays.

Incidents were also likely to occur in a private house, 17 per cent, or in shops, 14 per cent, and takeaways.

The vast majority of race hate perpetrators – 96 per cent – were classed as white British. Of these, most were men aged 16-20, followed by men under the age of 16.

Girls aged under 16 were most likely to commit racist acts, followed by those aged 16 to 20.