Minorities Twice As Likely To Be Victims Of Crime

People of ethnic minority backgrounds in Scotland are more than twice as likely to be victims of crime as others, according to new police figures.

Statistics obtained by The Herald under the Freedom of Information Act reveal approximately one in 20 victims of crime are from ethnic minorities, despite the fact they make up just one in 50 of Scotland’s total population.

Last year in Strathclyde, of the total 130,363 victims recorded for all crimes by the police, some 4.5% were from non-white backgrounds and a further 2493 (around 2%) were from “other” white backgrounds, including countries such as Poland.

Lothian and Borders Police covers an area with a lower ethnic minority make-up than Strathclyde and yet in the past year some 5.5% of the total 68435 victims were from an ethnic minority background.

In Central Scotland 4.2% of victims described themselves as being non-white. In Tayside last year some 4.3% of victims were from ethnic minorities and the majority of those reported crimes of dishonesty.

The statistics also indicate that the number of people from ethnic minorities who are either victims or perpetrators of crime has increased in recent years.

In Lothian and Borders this figure has increased from 1226 offenders in 2003 to 3146 in the past 12 months. This is thought to be partly due to the increasing size of the minority ethnic community and an overall growth in numbers.

All eight police forces in Scotland are meant to monitor ethnic minority victims and perpetrators, yet only five were able to provide the figures.

The high proportion of victims from ethnic minority communities is in relation to all crime and not racially aggravated crime. It is thought the disparity may be partly as a result of socio-economic factors.

Morag Patrick, senior policy officer for the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) in Scotland, said: “Crime is a worry for everybody, but no individual should be more likely to experience it just because of their ethnicity. These figures provide yet more illustration of why the new Scottish Executive needs to prioritise the delivery of racial equality across all areas of Scottish life.

“Good policing can only occur if the police know what is going on in the community. The fact only some police forces can provide information about the types of crime ethnic minority groups are more likely to experience is a major concern. Without this information it is impossible for police and policymakers to take the actions needed to reduce everybody’s chance of experiencing crime.”

Scotland has the fastest-growing migrant population in the UK. Between 1991 and 2001, Scotland’s foreign-born population rose by 34%, compared with 29% in England and 24% in Wales.

In 2001, 3.3% of people living in Scotland were born abroad compared with 2.5% in 1991. In Glasgow roughly 5% are Asian, Black or Chinese compared with about 4% in Edinburgh.

The 2011 census will contain far more detailed questions to try to address concerns that previous categories were too vague.

The CRE in Scotland believes recent factors, such as migration from recent EU accession countries – notably Poland – means that the true proportion of ethnic minority residents in Scotland is likely to be closer to three or 4%.

Chief Inspector Val Thomson, of the diversity unit, Strathclyde Police, said: “For a number of years now we have been working hard to increase the public’s confidence in us, through community engagement and consultation.

“This can take a variety of formats including face to face meetings, radio broadcasts, publications in minority ethnic newspapers and involvement in local events. Throughout all of this we stress the need for individuals and communities to report their experiences to us, to enable us to tackle the issues that are giving the most cause for concern.

“In addition, we’ve made it easier for people to report incidents to us, through remote reporting via our internet site and third-party reporting via a number of different organisations within our force area.

“We have seen an increase in the levels of reporting of particularly racist crime over the past two years. However, we will not become complacent in this area.

“Earlier this year we launched a new DVD to provide information on the criminal justice system for victims and witnesses of crime, in particular racist crime. The DVD aims to increase the confidence of minority ethnic communities in the criminal justice system.

“The 15-minute programme also provides details of the services available to victims and witnesses, including support services to help reduce the trauma of attending court.”