Gardai Report 50% Rise In Racist Crime Investigations

The number of racist crimes investigated by Gardai reportedly soared by around 50% last year. Reports this morning say the latest garda figures show 159 racist crimes were recorded in 2006, 63 of which involved physical assault.

The other cases involved racially motivated public order and criminal damage offences.

Around half of the crimes were recorded in the Dublin area, but campaigners say the figures are much lower than the actual number of offences taking place due to a reluctance among victims to contact the Gardai.