§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review policing arrangements with regard to racially motivated crime in(a) Burnley, (b) Oldham and (c) Bradford. [54058]
§ Mr. DenhamThe policing arrangements are as follows:
In Burnley the police have established a Racist Incident Unit with a team of investigators and intelligence officers, tasked with 610W monitoring racist crime and incidents, and providing an in depth level of investigation. In Oldham, a Hate Crime Unit performs the same role, with the ability to pick up on trends of racist crime. In Bradford, the policing of racially motivated crime is supported by Community Safety Units. They have community based reporting arrangements: there are currently 29 reporting centres with a further 10 in the pipeline. They are also piloting a system of Lay Panels sitting with the Divisional Commander, who audit all racist crimes and incidents, with the power to request an investigation be re-opened. Although operational policing matters in Burnley, Oldham and Bradford, are the responsibility of the Chief Constables of Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire respectively, I recognise the importance of the police to providing an effective response to racially motivated crime.