Hate crime a ‘cancer within our society’, says Long

Hate crime in Northern Ireland has been described as a “cancer within our society”.

Justice Minister Naomi Long was questioned about racial hate crimes as numbers hit a record high.

There were 2,049 racist incidents and 1,329 race hate crimes across Northern Ireland in the 12 months from July 1 last year to June 30 this year, according to recent PSNI data.

These are the highest figures since such data began to be collated and reported by the PSNI in 2004-05.

In a meeting of the Assembly on Tuesday, the issue of racial hate crime was raised by SDLP MLA Patsy McGlone following several incidents of racially motivated hate crimes across Northern Ireland.

Ms Long said: “This is a priority for me. It is something that I’m incredibly concerned about. It is a cancer within our society.

“It is destroying the fabric of our society, and it is doing no-one – neither those who live in those communities traditionally, nor those who come to Northern Ireland to make it their home – any favours whatsoever.

“It’s important that there is a proper policing response. It’s important that there is a proper criminal justice response.”

Ms Long said she is working with those in the Executive Office, in the Department for Communities, the Education Department and the Department for the Economy.

She said their aim is to invest in communities to tackle underlying issues and challenge the narrative that they “believe is being exploited”.

Mr McGlone pressed the minister about the extra resources that the PSNI require and what the Assembly has been able to offer them in assistance.

Five million pounds of mutual aid was provided for community policing during the racially motivated incidents that occurred over the course of the summer.

Ms Long added: “It’s another example of where bad behaviour ends up absorbing resources that could otherwise be invested, where it might do some good. And that’s a classic example.

“We cannot just rely on community policing. The hate is going to have to be tackled by us all, and not just by policing injustice.”

The “racially motivated hate crimes” were addressed in the meeting following several incidents, including one in east Belfast where cars were damaged following a large gathering at Factory Street.

Ms Long said: “There’s absolutely no place in our society for the hate and the racism and the intimidation that we have witnessed in our streets, not just over recent weeks, but over recent months.

“I would really urge people not to get involved in this despicable behaviour, not to allow their frustrations with services in their neighbourhood to be displaced and target those who are similarly disadvantaged, but for them to focus on working with their elected representatives, to articulate those areas of concern that they may have.

“To address these with those of us who are serious about wanting to see those communities improved but will not tolerate sectarianism, hatred, violence or racism on our streets.”