DVD to help victims of racist crime

Project launched by Crown Office and Strathclyde Police

News, 5 March 2007

The Crown Office has joined with Strathclyde Police to launch a new DVD aimed at providing information on the criminal justice system for victims and witnesses of racially motivated crime.

The DVD aims to increase the confidence of ethnic minority communities in the criminal justice system and to encourage victims of racist crime to report incidents to the police. It also provides details of the services available to victims and witnesses, including support services to help reduce the trauma of attending court.

There is footage from a real case, which illustrates the negative impact that racist crime can have on victims - a verbal racist attack by two teenage girls on the staff in a takeaway restaurant.

Welcoming the launch of the DVD, Lord Advocate Elish Angiolini said: "Racist crime is a reality in Scotland; that is the unfortunate truth. This DVD, although it will not eradicate racist crime, will assist people in Scotland to better understand our criminal justice system, and help to build confidence to ensure that people feel more able to report instances of racist crime. There is no place for racism in a civilised society."

Chief constable Sir William Rae of Strathclyde Police said: "We at Strathclyde Police fully appreciate the difficulties faced by people who are the victims of a racially motivated crime at all stages of the criminal justice process.

"However, I am sure that this excellent DVD will help to reduce any fears of the process and increase confidence in the system to deal fairly and effectively with any reported incidents."