Asian Pakistani people were the victims of more than a quarter of all racially-aggravated crime in Salford between 2011 and 2012 – and they’re on the rise, MM can reveal.
The figures, obtained following a freedom of information request to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), show an 18% increase in attacks on Asian Pakistanis from 2011 to 2012.
Of 2485 racially-motivated attacks in Salford in the two years, 689, or 27%, were on Asian Pakistanis – more than double the next biggest figure of 308 attacks on White British people.
Chief Inspector Dave Henthorne for GMP’s Salford Division, said: “While we know that there has been an increase in hate crimes and hate incidents against Asian Pakistanis in the area, over half of racially motivated hate crimes are solved by police in Salford, which is an increase on previous years.
“However we will continue to work hard to improve on this.
“Our officers and partners such as the local housing providers continue to work with communities to root out perpetrators, show them that we won’t tolerate this type of crime and bring them to justice.
“We know however, that this type of crime continues to be under-reported and we would encourage our community to report any incidents or concerns.
“By increasing the number of reports we receive for this type of crime, the community is also helping us to find the best way to address it.”
GMP explained they follow the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) definition for what constitutes a racially-aggravated crime.
The ACPO states a hate crime is one which ‘constitutes a criminal offence, perceived by the victim or any other person, as being motivated by prejudice or hate’.
Racial attacks on a whole went up from 1140 in 2011 to 1345 in 2012 while attacks on Asian Pakistanis went up from 316 to 373 in the same timeframe – both at a rate of 18%.
Chief Inspector Henthorne insisted victims would be given full support and positive outcomes were being achieved through the courts and restorative justice process.
He said: “Our partners at Salford City Council are in the process of producing the latest hate crime profile for the city which will assist the partnership in tackling these types of crimes and incidents.
“Any incident motivated by religious or racial hatred is abhorrent and can cause people a great deal of upset.
“We do not want people to suffer in silence and want them to speak out when they are subjected to any form of abuse – we want them to tell us so we can bring the offenders to justice.”
Salford is known to be one of the most densely-populated cities in Greater Manchester for Pakistanis, with around 3% of its residents classing themselves as Asian or British Asian.
Tony Lloyd, Police and Crime Commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: “Hate crime is vicious and unacceptable and has no place in our society.
“I’ve met with victims of this abhorrent crime and seen the impact and devastation it causes, and is why tackling this issue and protecting vulnerable people is a priority in my police and crime plan.
“ We need to work together to make sure people who try to drive a wedge through our communities aren’t allowed to do so.
“I also want to encourage people to come forward and report hate crime.
“Please don’t suffer in silence, there is help and support available and the police will treat all reports seriously.”
Picture courtesy of HarryMphoto, with thanks.
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