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Hate crime rockets

1/12/2002

THE race riots in Oldham are behind a dramatic increase in race crime in Greater Manchester.

Figures released by Greater Manchester police show that racial motivated crimes were up by more than a quarter in a 12 month period from April 2001 to March 2002. But the period covers the May 2001 Oldham riots and one-in-three of the racist offences occurred in the Oldham area.

The report on race crime also reveals that Asians are by far the most likely targets for racist criminals. Over the 12-month period 42 per cent of the victims of race crime were Asian compared with 28 per cent white and 26 per cent black. In all 3,751 race crimes were reported, 1,249 of them in Oldham, an overall increase compared to a year earlier of 27 per cent.

The figure represents a rise in race crime of 75 per cent in the Oldham area. But this is almost all due to the hundreds of incidents that occurred during three nights of rioting which led to the Ritchie report and its call for greater integration in the town.

Even in Oldham - where the former police chief claimed most violent race crimes were committed by Asians on whites - the report records that most of the victims were Asian, 513, compared to 478 whites and 35 blacks. Of the race crimes in Oldham 128 had an element of religious, mainly anti-Muslim, hatred.

Throughout the county 40 per cent of race hate crimes led to charges. But in a quarter of cases the victim refused to press charges and a further 25 per cent were undetected.

The report also investigates stop and searches by police of ethnic minorities. There were a third less Asians stopped and searched over the period throughout Greater Manchester - the only exceptions being in Oldham and Trafford were more Asian were searched compared to a year earlier. Of those stopped and searched only 10 per cent were charged.

Greater Manchester Police have made no direct comment on the rise in race hate crime but the head of the force's community relations branch pledged to continue work to win the trust of ethnic minority communities.

Assistant Chief Constable Ian Seabridge said: "We continue to urge people to report all forms of hate crime wherever it occurs so we can take appropriate action. The report shows officers are carefully targeting stop searches as an important investigative tool.'