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Spotty showers; coldNews
Terror searches rocket
17/12/2004
THE number of Asians suspected of terrorism and searched by
Greater Manchester Police more than doubled over a 12 month
period.
Figures released by Chief Constable Michael Todd show that 116
Asians were searched in the 12 months to March this year - twice as
many as those searched in an earlier 12 month period.
Most of these searches, made under the Prevention of Terrorism Act,
were of Asians arriving or leaving Manchester International
Airport.
The total number of searches under the PTA in Greater Manchester
was 859 - the number has been rising steadily ever since President
Bush announced his 'war of terrorism'.
The figures are published in GMP's latest race and diversity report
which does not record how many of the searches led to arrests and
charges for terrorism.The total number of stop and searches on for
non-terrorist reasons fell on average by over 12 per cent over the
period but the number of Asian searched in this category increased
slightly by 2.6 per cent.
The report also says the most common victim of the 3,203 race hate
crimes in Greater Manchester in the 12 months to March this year
were Asian males. Over 1,500 Asians, mainly males between the ages
of 15 and 25, were verbally or physically attacked by racists in
the period.
The biggest rise in race hate crime was recorded in Rochdale where
there were 511 incidents - 18 per cent of the Greater Manchester
total.
The report reveals GMP are making steady progress in recruiting
more ethnic minority officers. A total of 36 joined during the
period bringing the total to 272 or 3.2 per cent of the total
force.
Commenting on the report Mr Todd said: "I hope that the communities
of Greater Manchester will feel happier in the knowledge that we
are actively and robustly monitoring and scrutinising how we do
business. I want the information contained in this report to
generate greater confidence in our ability to deliver a service
that wholly meets the needs of our diverse community.
I have also recently released a greatly improved Race Equality
Scheme that, once again, explicitly states my commitment to
anti-racism, fairness and equality. This monitoring report is an
extension to the Race Equality Scheme and has been enhanced this
year to meet our obligations to monitor and publish information on
race and diversity."
'He's got a Muslim name and a picture of a plane,
therefore he must be a terrorist'
A MAN arrested
under the anti-terror laws by Manchester police claimed he was
victimised because he was a Muslim.
Aboker Hussein-Younis, 24, was originally stopped in connection
with driving offences in Cheetham Hill last Monday, but was then
arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000.
He was fined £200 by magistrates for the driving offences, and
police eventually said their inquiries had left them satisfied that
none of Mr Younis's actions were terrorist related.
But Mr Younis, an engineering student, slammed the police decision
to arrest him on suspicion of terrorism and to raid three
properties as a result of finding a picture of two planes in his
car.
Mr Younis said the picture of a plane was in his car because a
university colleague had given it to him to pass on to another
friend, who planned to join the RAF.
According to Mr Younis, the plane picture is part of a mathematical
problem, similar to ones candidates for the RAF are asked to answer
in recruitment exams.
He was highly critical of police raids on the homes of his
relatives and friends, and also said he felt he was being
victimised because of his Muslim name. He said: "This was, to me,
someone sitting behind a desk saying: '`He's got a Muslim name and
a picture of a plane, therefore he must be a terrorist. Let's go
and arrest him and everybody he knows'."
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said the force was satisfied
that officers were justified in carrying out the raids.
Officers are to meet members of the local Somali community to
discuss the outcome of the investigation.
At one stage an angry crowd gathered outside raided homes as police
wheeled away a wheelchair-bound grandmother.
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