Fall in number of recorded racist incidents in Scotland

RACIST INCIDENTS recorded by police in Scotland have fallen by 14% in a year.

The number dropped from 5,389 in 2011-12 to 4,628 in the past year, the Scottish Government said.

Community Safety Minister Roseanna Cunningham said: “Racism is completely unacceptable and we cannot allow the actions of a minority to spoil this country’s reputation as a warm, welcoming, tolerant nation where diversity is valued.”

White British and Pakistani victims each accounted for 23% of the total where the ethnic group is known.

Glasgow topped the table with 20.5 racist incidents per 10,000 people, followed by Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Stirling.

The figures also show a spike in racist incidents on Friday and Saturday nights when 51% of the total are reported.

Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland QC said: “The decreasing trend generally is welcomed, but I too would warn against complacency.”

He added: “It is my view that many racially motivated offences are linked to social disorder and this is a cause for concern for law enforcement.

“The Scottish prosecution service has a zero-tolerance approach for any hate crime and I would urge the public to continue to report all such offences to the police. They can have the confidence that crimes of racial hatred, bigotry and prejudice will be investigated carefully and sensitively and prosecuted robustly.”