16th November 2005

Publicity blitz is launched after city hate crime soars

A MASSIVE publicity blitz is being launched to encourage victims of hate crimes in the Lothians to approach the police.

The "remote reporting" service which allows victims to alert officers to crimes without visiting a station or giving their name has been expanded by force chiefs.

It comes after the number of racist attacks against ethnic minorities in the Capital soared following the terrorist atrocities in London on July 7.

More than 300 new sites, including doctor's surgeries, hospitals and council offices, will now direct people to the service.

Adverts on buses and mobile trailers will also be used after a police survey found that awareness levels were very low.

Officers also want to build up a better intelligence picture to target resources at problems which may be largely unreported.

Remote reporting is particularly focused on serving ethnic minorities, the gay community, homeless people and prostitutes who may feel unable to give details of an offence at a police station.

But the doubling of reported racist incidents in Edinburgh following the deaths of 52 people at the hands of Muslim extremists convinced Lothian and Borders Police that the service needed much greater coverage.

Hundreds of posters have been sent out to NHS Lothian and the four Lothian councils as part of the Take Control campaign, while advice cards will also be issued.

Chief Inspector George Denholm, head of diversity with Lothian and Borders, said: "After the July 7 bombings in London we realised that we needed to be more proactive in dealing with members of the Muslim community who may have had concerns about coming to us. Sikhs, Chinese and other ethnic groups also suffered at the hands of ignorant racists who made a connection to the bombings with them.

"This service is about breaking down barriers to accessing the police among people who may traditionally have felt they cannot got to a station for whatever reason."

The number of racist incidents doubled in Edinburgh in the two months after the suicide bombings, with a total of 169 racist incidents being reported to police during July and August compared with 85 for the preceding two months.

Remote reporting allows victims to alert police to an incident through a third party, such as Edinburgh and Lothian's Racial Equality Council, LGBT Youth Scotland or the Pakistan Society Edinburgh.

Trained staff at around 30 organisations act as a link between the victim and police, taking down details and allowing inquiries to begin while guaranteeing anonymity.

Councillor Shami Khan, a member of the Pakistan Society and the police board, said: "Remote reporting is a good scheme which encourages more people to come forward.

But the attitude at some stations has to be more understanding of the problem of racial attacks. We also need the police to get results when reports are made because that is how you will encourage others to speak out."

Reach the remote reporting service on 0131-311 3909 or at www.lbp.police.uk/takecontrol.

Source: The Scotsman