Racist Incidents Monitoring
Racist incident monitoring [ 130 kb]
Summary
Racist abuse and violence is still part of the experience of CAB clients and it is not confined to larger urban areas with high concentrations of black and minority ethnic (BME) communities.
Social policy evidence submitted to Citizens Advice nationally by member bureaux contains significant instances of racist incidents. The evidence from Citizens Advice Bureaux about such incidents however extends across the range of day to day interactions and activities that most people undertake without a thought such as, going to work, shopping, leisure activities, claiming benefits, etc. Much of the social policy work submitted by bureaux relates to harassment within the clients home environment, striking at the heart of the clients life and right to quiet enjoyment of their property.
This report is based on an analysis of questionnaires sent to Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales in 2004 asking them about their involvement in racist incident monitoring schemes. A number of bureaux have developed significant expertise in this area of work and have taken on a community leadership role in developing reporting schemes and multi agency partnerships. A lot of progress has been made in tackling racist crime since the publication of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report and the development of the Home Office Guidance on the Reporting and Recording of Racist Incidents.
This report outlines the involvement of the Citizens Advice service in England and Wales in reporting and recording racist incidents. It provides information about the types of racist incidents reported by victims to Citizens Advice Bureaux. The report identifies examples of good practice and makes recommendations, improvement in training and capacity building for voluntary sector members of multi agency partnerships. The Code of Practice is currently under review and this report makes recommendations regarding minimum data content of reports and feedback to partner agencies. The report reiterates the link between community safety and community cohesion and the importance of the contribution Citizens Advice Bureaux made to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships.
Social Policy contact: Valerie Coleman Social.policy@citizensadvice.org.uk