NCJ Number
176511
Date Published
1997
Length
109 pages
Annotation
This report by Human Rights Watch/Helsinki documents the extent and nature of racist violence in the United Kingdom and offers recommendations for addressing it.
Abstract
The level of racist incidents reported to the police in the United Kingdom has increased dramatically over recent years. Between 1989 and 1996, the number rose more than 275 percent, from 4,383 to 12,199. These already high figures, however, represent only a fraction of the actual level, because many victims do not report crimes against them to the police. Estimates of the real figures based on the official British Crime Survey of 1991 indicate that approximately 32,500 violent assaults and an additional 26,000 acts of vandalism were racially motivated; overall, 18 percent of all crimes against ethnic minorities were considered to be racially motivated. This suggests that there is an ongoing crime wave perpetrated by some British whites against ethnic minority groups in the United Kingdom. There is a widespread impression among victims that these attacks are not adequately investigated, and a significant number of individuals describe acts of brutality committed by the police that appear to be racially motivated. Hostile or ineffective policing leaves members of many ethnic minorities frightened and with no place to turn for protection. Ultimately, many lose trust in the police and stop calling them for assistance, even when they are subjected to ongoing violence and harassment in their homes and neighborhoods. The national government is outspoken against racially motivated violence and has launched some positive policy initiatives, but there continue to be frequent reports of police who are unwilling or unable to protect minority victims, and cases of severe police brutality continue at an unacceptable rate. Recommendations aim at increasing the monitoring of incidents of racist violence and the response of various authorities at each stage; increasing accountability of those individuals and agencies that fail to respond effectively to racist violence; and the establishment of new initiatives for increasing the effectiveness of current efforts to prevent and respond to racist violence. 17 tables and 211 footnotes