COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ON POLICING RACIST CRIME AND

VIOLENCE

Dr Robin OakleyDr Robin Oakley

Independent ConsultantIndependent Consultant

CONTEXT

Follows Report on ‘Racist Violence in the EU15’

Focuses specifically on response of police (EU25)

METHODOLOGY

• Rapid Response Survey• October 2004• Short questionnaire• National Focal Points (NFPs) • Twenty five Member States• Respond within fourteen days• Provides ‘snapshot’ overview

SCOPE

1. police recording practices for racist crimes

2. responsibility for establishing racial motivation

3. police responses to victims of racist crimes

4. training provision for the police to respond to racist crimes

5. police engagement with civil society

MAIN FINDING

In the majority of Member States police responses

to racist crime and violence require further

development to make them effective.

SPECIFIC FINDINGS

• Approaches differ widely between Member States• A minority show examples of ‘good practice’• Often only specific or local-level initiatives• General lack of comprehensive policing response

to racist violence • UK shows the most comprehensive policing

approach• France, Germany and Sweden also show serious

commitment

SPECIFIC FINDINGS (continued)• No provision for recording racial motivation in crime generally

in most States• Information on ethnicity of victims/offenders rarely recorded • Support for victims of racist crime needs to be strengthened• Few states had specialist training in place • Many initiatives just address ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘racism’

generally• Police engagement with civil society needs

to be further developed

ACTIONS AT MEMBER STATE LEVEL

• Need for adequate legal and policy framework• Police leadership to show commitment• Requirement on police to record ‘racial motivation’ in crime• Statistical analysis of all racially-motivated crime• Procedural guidance for police on response to racist crime• Specialist training to be provided, with input from NGOs• Specialist posts to be established at national/local levels• Mechanisms to encourage/facilitate reporting of racist

crime

ACTIONS AT E.U. LEVEL• Need for further in-depth research on policing responses• Urgent need for comparative victim survey across Member States• Legislation to require Member States to have adequate law on racist

crime• Should include requirement on police to record racial motivation• Funded programme to support strengthening of police response• To include support for NGO participation• Transnational events to exchange experience/promote good practice• Actions to be coordinated with work of

other international bodies

Thank you for your attention