Race hate crime reports on rise

FOUR racist incidents are reported to police every day in the Lothians, with officers dealing with a soaring numbers of cases in the last five years.

New figures showed that 759 incidents were investigated by the force between April and September, with victims suffering both physical and verbal attacks.

Compared with this six-month period, only 593 incidents were recorded in 2004-5.

Police chiefs say the rise was caused by a greater willingness among the ethnic community to come forward.

The figures were revealed as a new guide for ethnic minority shopkeepers was launched in the Lothians to help them avoid becoming a victim of hate crime.

Ethnic community leaders welcomed the guide and said that a "zero tolerance" approach by police could cut the number of offences. The 25-page booklet, created by the West Lothian Community Safety Partnership, offers advice on topics such as boosting security and recognising when an aggressive person may attack.

Superintendent Jeanette McDiarmid, chair of the West Lothian Community Safety Partnership, said:

"We live and work in a diverse community, and we have a responsibility to ensure all businesses and service providers can continue to operate and serve local people without fear of crime.

"We would urge anyone who has been a victim of a hate crime to let us know about it, either to your local police or through our remote reporting scheme."

The force's scheme, where police can be contacted outwith stations, has been cited for encouraging more victims to come forward.

Between April 2007 and last March, a total of 1,397 racist incidents were recorded in the force area, compared with 1,105 in the previous year.

Amjid Akram, CEO of the Institute of Asian Professionals said: "Asian and minority-owned businesses are regularly subjected to racial and verbal abuse and this is on the rise. However, with the right type of actions and a zero tolerance approach, we are confident that in the long term we can eliminate such crime. I believe that this handbook will help small businesses to act and avoid being potential victims."

The guide includes a risk assessment checklist to look for deficiencies in staff training and shop layouts, and "violent incident report forms" to identify security flaws which led to problems.

Shopkeepers are also encouraged to examine factors which may increase aggression, such as long queues and overheated premises.

Linda Shanahan, workplace violence prevention manager with the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives, also welcomed the guide's launch.

She said: "In this way violence can be reduced and real benefits for the wellbeing of those at work can be maintained."