Racially motivated incidents are independently recorded by two bodies, the Garda Síochána and the National Consultative Committee on Racism and Interculturalism, NCCRI.
The NCCRI was established with funding from my Department. Its objective is to develop an integrated approach against racism and promote a more participative 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.
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. The office monitors the statistics of racially motivated incidents on a monthly basis. In addition to this, staff liaise with victims of crime and with the investigating Garda. The Garda authorities inform me that there is an approved policy for recording incidents that are racially motivated. The NCCRI records incidents that are not necessarily related to criminal offences. This is one reason for the difference in the number of incidents reported to the Garda Síochána. I am pleased to note that the number of incidents with a racist motive recorded has fallen since 2002. There were 102 such incidents reported in 2002, 69 in 2003 and 42 incidents reported up to 8 November of this year.
Incidents motivated by racism, sectarianism, 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 Síochána 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.
I understand that the Garda Commissioner has approved the appointment of ethnic liaison officers. There are 145 such officers stationed around the country. The role of the liaison officer is to liaise with leaders of ethnic communities and inform and assure the ethnic communities of Garda services and protection.
