The number of racist hate crimes recorded in Tayside dropped over the past year, it has been revealed.
That good news was delivered by the Scottish Government yesterday but came against the backdrop of a 10% rise in racist incidents nationally.
Police forces across the country recorded the first increase for five years up from 4,911 incidents in 2010-11 to 5,389 during 2011-12.
Disappointed politicians and anti-racism campaigners said the rise in such incidents 40% of which are perpetrated by under twenties risked tarnishing the nation’s image.
Tayside was one of just two police force areas, alongside Grampian, to record a decrease in the number of racist incidents, falling 5%.
In comparison, the other six police forces all recorded an increase, ranging from 3% in Dumfries and Galloway to 37% in Northern.
Tayside Police said close cooperation with communities, faith leaders and relevant agencies helped identify emerging problems or potential issues and address them accordingly.
“Racism is unacceptable in whatever form it takes and will not be tolerated by Tayside Police,” a spokesman said.
“Moreover, it must not be tolerated by society and, importantly, by those who find themselves victim to such incidents.
“There has been a reduction of 14 incidents when compared to the previous year that is 14 fewer victims and is to be welcomed. Looking back further, levels of reported racist incidents have remained relatively static.
“Racism is something that none of us can be complacent about and we would appeal to anyone who is the victim of a racist incident or any type of hate crime not to suffer in silence but to report the matter immediately.
“As with every alleged crime, all reported racist incidents are taken very seriously and thoroughly investigated.”
The Government report from Roger Halliday, Scotland’s chief statistician, found that 22% of victims of racist incidents in 2011-12 were white British, the second-highest rate among the ethnic groups.
People of Pakistani origin were the group subjected to the most racism, accounting for 23% of all reported incidents.
Glasgow city centre had the dubious honour of heading the figures for most recorded racist incidents in the country, with 25 per 10,000 of the population, while Shetland had the least, with just 2.2 per 10,000 people.
Community Safety Minister Roseanna Cunningham said the national increase was hugely disappointing, particularly in light of a downward trend in recent years.
She sounded a note of caution, however, pointing out that better police engagement and reporting of incidents could contribute to a statistical increase.
“Scotland has an outstanding reputation as a welcoming and tolerant nation and we cannot let a minority of people tarnish our image,” Ms Cunningham added.