Quarter of Asians are victims of crime
ONE in four Asian people on Tyneside say they have been a victim of crime.
New figures reveal that those of Asian ethnicity are nearly twice as likely to experience crime than white people.
In the Northumbria Police force area, 25% of people who are Asian said they had been targeted between April 2013 and March 2016.
And the figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales also show people in this ethnic group were 1.9 times more likely to report being victims of crime than white people, with 13% of people in this group experiencing crime.
In addition, fear of crime in the Asian communities is higher – 39% believe they are likely or very likely to be victims, twice the 19% of white people say the same.
However, Asian people in the Northumbria Police force area are more likely to have confidence in their local police, with 87% saying they agreed or strongly agreed that they did, compared to 80% of white people.
Brave shopkeeper Jaswinder Singh chased off a would-be robber with a baseball bat he found behind his counter, when the crook threatened to kill him.
Mr Singh was preparing to close his convenience store in Winlaton, Gateshead, when the hooded raider burst in, armed with a knife.
The man ordered the dad-of-two to fill a bag with cash, but he refused. After reaching behind a box at the back of the counter he discovered a baseball bat, left behind by the previous owner of the Winlaton Convenience Store.
Just one look at the makeshift weapon was enough to send the knifeman fleeing into the night.
The entire incident was caught on CCTV, yet four years on, no-one has been brought to justice for the frightening raid.
Mr Singh, who is Indian, said he trusted the police to do a good job, but fears they simply did not have enough officers to find his assailant.
“Even with the CCTV and everything they couldn’t get anyone,” he said. “I just don’t think they have enough people, that’s the problem.”
But the 55-year-old is urging people of all races and backgrounds to report crimes and seek justice.
“I do trust the police and I still think they are doing a good job. They try their best but they just don’t have enough people,” he said.
“But if somebody has done a crime they should be reported. It doesn’t make any difference who you are or where you’re from. I would always report anything that happened to me. To get justice you have to have confidence in the police.”
Northumbria Police has welcomed the figures, and a spokeswoman said the force had recruited an increased number of officers from ethnic minorities to help the force to continue to meet the needs of all the people it serves. She said: “We welcome these figures and will continue to do everything we can to increase confidence among BME communities. In March 2017, satisfaction among BME communities in our region was the highest in England at 87%, and in our latest recruitment drive we recruited more BME officers than our previous batch of new constables.
“We always want to do better though and will continue to work with BME communities so we can diversify our workforce and be outstanding in the service we provide.”
The Crime Survey for England and Wales asks people aged 16 and over about their experiences of crime in the previous 12 months.
Their answers are used to estimate levels of crime in England and Wales.