HC Deb 25 April 1996 vol 276 c266W
Mr. Hain

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the statistics for the number of reported racial incidents in south Wales since 1988, indicating the annual percentage changes; and if he will make a statement about Government policy on this matter. [26368]

Mr. Maclean

Figures for the total number of racially motivated incidents recorded by South Wales police since 1988 are shown in the table.

A further report from the inter-department racial attack group is expected to be available by the summer.

Racially motivated incidents1 recorded by South Wales police since 1988
Year Number of incidents recorded Percentage change
1988 103
1989 93 -9.3
19902 308 +231
1991 385 +25
1992 311 -19.3
1993 401 +28.9
1994 501 +24.9
1995 472 -5.8
1 A racial incident is defined by the Association of Chief Police Officers as any incident in which it appears to the reporting or investigating officer that the complaint involves an element of racial motivation, or any incident in which an allegation of racial motivation is made by any person.
2 Changes in monitoring and recording practices of racially motivated incidents were introduced in 1990 together with a campaign of awareness raising within ethnic minority communities in South Wales.