Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 14 Oct 2003

Vol. 572 No. 3

Written Answers. - Anti-Racism Measures.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

447 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the mechanisms which currently exist here to track hate crime; the number of hate crimes against travellers and prosecutions for same recorded per county each year for the past five years; the number of hate crimes against lesbian and gay people and prosecutions for same recorded per county each year for the past five years; and the number of racist hate crimes against non-nationals or Irish people of colour and prosecutions for same recorded per county each year for the past five years. [22824/03]

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform (Mr. McDowell)

Racially motivated incidents are independently recorded by the Garda Síochána and the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, NCCRI. Neither body publishes statistics in the format requested by the Deputy. The NCCRI was established with funding from my Department. Its objective is to develop an integrated approach against racism and promote a more participatory and intercultural society. The NCCRI, in partnership with a range of non-government organisations, has organised a system of reporting racist incidents. The system aims to profile the number, type and location of incidents and to identify emerging trends. These incidents are compiled into six-monthly reports, the fourth of which has just been published. As noted in the fourth report, victims can be refugees, asylum seekers, EU citizens, Irish citizens such as Travellers or tourists. The monitoring of hate crimes directed against the lesbian and gay community does not come within the remit of the NCCRI.

Number of Incidents Reported to the NCCRI

Report	Period Covered	Number ofIncidents
1	May 2001 – October 2001	41
2	November 2001 – April 2002	40
3	May 2002 – October 2002	67
4	November 2002 – April 2003	48

I am informed by the Garda authorities that the Garda racial and intercultural office was established to co-ordinate, monitor and advise on all aspects of policing in the area of ethnic and cultural diversity. Incidents that are motivated by racism, sectarianism, homophobia, xenophobia and anti-semitism are recorded on the PULSE computer system. Personnel at the Garda racial and intercultural office, which was established in 2001, monitor all incidents to ensure that the system is accurately recording all such offences. Where such incidents occur, the Garda ensures that an investigation is pursued with reference to the provisions of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 and the Prohibition of the Incitement to Hatred Act 1989, which are the relevant legislative instruments pertaining to hate crime.

Garda policy on the recording in PULSE of racially motivated incidents was circulated to the organisation in December 2002. The Garda authorities consider that this policy directive is likely to cause an increase in the number of incidents recorded as racially motivated, as it resulted in a greater level of awareness amongst members of issues relating to racism. A similar effect was noted following the establishment of the Garda racial and intercultural office in 2001.

As the mechanism to record racist incidents has been in place a relatively short time, it is not possible to provide figures for the entire period requested by the Deputy. Garda crime statistics are not compiled on a county basis as these do not always co-incide with divisional structures. I am, however, informed that 42 offences were recorded in 2001 where the victim was not an Irish national and the motive was racist while three homophobic offences were recorded in the same year. In 2002, 100 offences with racist motives and 11 with homophobic motives were recorded. Provisional figures for the year 2003 indicate that 42 incidents with racist motives were recorded up until 29 September.

According to the annual report of the Garda for 1998, one non-indictable case involving an alleged breach of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 was referred to the DPP. No incidents were recorded in 1999. In the year 2000, proceedings were taken in six non-indictable offences, in respect of which four convictions were recorded. In 2001, eight headline offences under the Act were recorded by the Garda and one case resulted in a conviction. Also in 2001, proceedings were taken in 12 non-headline – formerly referred to as non-indictable – offences under the Act, resulting in a further three convictions. Provisional statistics for the year 2002 also show eight headline – formerly indictable – offences under the Act. As the Deputy will be aware, a review of the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989 is ongoing in my Department and is being carried out in co-operation with the NCCRI.