Lothian & Borders Police:
Policing in the Minority Ethnic Communities

Chief Constable Message / Policing in a Diverse Community / New Contact Point / Working Together / Cultural Awareness / Bridging the Gap / Recruitment / Unique Insight / Racial Incidents 97-98

Force Community Race Relations Officer: Inspector Gavin Buist Community Services Department Police Headquarters Fettes Avenue Edinburgh EH4 1RB Phone 0131 311 3035

A Message from the Chief Constable

Chief Constable Roy Cameron QPM BA MPhil

Over recent years, we have done a lot to promote strong race relations in our communities and stamp out racial harassment.

The best way to achieve this is through strong co-operation between agencies and cultures.

This is the first time we have produced a separate document highlighting minority ethnic issues as part of our annual report. Our aim is to promote a better understanding of racial matters by giving you detailed information on projects we have run during the year, racial crime statistics and our future plans.

Through academic research and our own experience, we are well aware that recorded crime figures reflect only part of the true extent of racism. Our ability to effectively tackle the problem depends on people having the confidence to come forward and ask for our help. Over the year, we have run several projects designed to strengthen links between the police and our minority ethnic communities and also reinforce our commitment against racism.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many agencies and individuals representing local minority ethnic communities for their help and support over the year. By working in partnership, we can achieve positive results which will benefit us all.

Policing in a Diverse Community

To provide an effective policing service to any community, we must remain sensitive to the wide range of needs, concerns and fears of the members of that community.

We are committed to finding new ways of promoting community safety and to developing effective and lasting relationships with local minority ethnic communities. To help achieve this we have appointed a Force Community Race Relations Officer. This position provides an important contact point and will allow us to consider racial issues when developing our policies.

Communication alone, however, is not enough. Victims of racism feel vulnerable in a way that cannot be compared with the feelings of other crime victims. They will have different opinions and experiences of crime, and so they require a police response that recognises their anxieties and feelings of isolation.

To achieve this, we recently carried out a complete review of how we investigate and follow up racial incidents. We will give victims special attention through long-term support, especially if they are repeatedly targeted. By doing this, we aim to tackle the feelings of isolation and insecurity that often follow a racial attack.

A New Contact Point

Inspector Buist works from the Community Services Department at Force Headquarters. He has over seventeen years' police service, including operational experience in central and western Edinburgh.

Since his appointment in April 1997 he has made good progress in developing stronger links with minority ethnic communities. As part of his role he is responsible for overseeing all racial matters throughout the Force. His growing awareness of cultural issues means he is now ideally placed to co-ordinate projects and develop new policies. He also provides a liaison point for enquiries relating to minority ethnic matters.

Inspector Buist has recognised the special challenges presented by his job: 'Very quickly I had to get to know as many people from the minority ethnic communities as possible. I discovered that there are many cultures alive in our area. My new role provides a great opportunity to learn more about these cultures and build bridges within the community.'

Working Together

We recognise the value of working with other organisations to develop preventive strategies which can make a real difference.

Although much of this work takes place informally, we have also been involved in developing the Co-ordinated Action Against Racism in Edinburgh Project. Funding was provided by the European Year Against Racism Initiative, which aims to raise public awareness of racism and encourage victims to speak out.

The hard work which went into this project was formally recognised last year when it won a much coveted Local Authority Race Award. At a ceremony in London, Hilary Armstrong, the Minister for Local Government, presented the award to Councillor Lesley Hinds, Chair of the Community Safety Partnership.

Representatives from the other agencies which took part were also present, including The City of Edinburgh Council, Lothian Racial Equality Council, Shakti, Women's Aid, Wester Hailes Against Racism Project, Pilton Black Community Development Project, the Ethnic Enterprise Centre and Lothian and Borders Police. This successful team effort has demonstrated the effectiveness of partnership approaches to crime.

Cultural Awareness

Members of our minority ethnic communities must feel free and able to make full use of the services we offer.

Our staff should be aware of the cultures and customs of the minority communities that make up our society. This knowledge will allow staff to have a clearer understanding of the differences and will also help them to avoid language or behaviour which could cause offence. With this in mind, we have recently produced a cultural awareness guide and distributed it to police officers and support staff who come into contact with members of the public.

We produced the guide with the help of the main minority communities in our area. It has been well received within the Force and nationally as an example of good practice.

Bridging the Gap

To gain the trust and confidence of any group of people we must make our role clear. We must also be careful not to encourage unrealistic expectations of what we can do.

To help develop better understanding and give a positive image of our service, we hosted two police awareness days last year. These were designed to break down barriers and bring us closer together. Five hundred people visited the events and met police officers and support staff. From this, they were able to get a better idea of our responsibilities.

We have also restructured the Chief Constable's annual meeting with members of local minority ethnic communities. In September last year we hosted a multi-cultural social evening for about 150 guests. The evening gave guests an opportunity to raise issues of concern, but the emphasis was on informality. The Indian, Chinese and African communities provided entertainment. And the success of the evening means it is likely to become a yearly event on our social calendar.

Recruitment

To police a diverse society our staff must reflect the people of our communities.

We recognised that minority ethnic communities were considerably under-represented in our organisation and so last year we took positive action. For a limited period, we appointed an ethnic recruitment officer to raise our profile as an employer within minority ethnic communities.

By visiting careers conventions, cultural celebrations and local minority ethnic events, we managed to generate great interest. A poster campaign and several radio and press features helped us to spread the message -- from a single article in a minority ethnic magazine, we received 24 enquiries.

The response to this initiative has been encouraging and will no doubt continue. As a result of these efforts, we have already made four new appointments this year and are considering several more.

If you would like to find out more about a career with us, please contact: Lothian and Borders Police Recruiting Department, Fettes Avenue Edinburgh EH4 1RB Phone 0131 311 3485

A Unique Insight

The author, Catherine Palmer, completed the work with our full support and received an M.Phil qualification from Glasgow University as a result. Her work highlighted some important areas of concern and provided a unique insight into many people's views and attitudes in their dealings with the police.

Some of Catherine's findings suggested that: over half of all racial incidents go unreported; 70% of victims of racial crimes who had not reported them claimed to have been victims on at least ten previous occasions; while most people found the police approachable, friendly and hard working, only 33% felt they were trustworthy; two thirds of those interviewed thought the police did not do enough to tackle crime; and minority ethnic groups did not fear crime in general in their area but were very concerned about racial crime and harassment. The study was based on actual experiences and personal views. It highlights the importance of tailoring our service to develop greater trust, understanding and reassurance. Many members of minority ethnic communities become victims not just of individual crimes but of regular abuse. So it is encouraging that our approach to racial matters, including recent successful initiatives, is going some way to tackle these problems. Catherine would certainly agree: 'So many academic theses just lie on library shelves. I am delighted that the Force plans to use the findings of my thesis to help shape race relations policy over the next few years. I wish them every success.'

Racial Incidents 1997-98

Making the Difference