There has been a steep rise in hate crimes across Northern Ireland, according to reports released yesterday.
The two reports, commissioned by the Police Ombudsman of Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Policing Board, found that racist attacks in the North have increased by nearly 80 per cent, while homophobic attacks rose by 175 per cent.
Hate crime was also shown to be low on the list of priorities of the North's population, with only four of the 26 policing districts mentioning it in their policing plans.
The survey examined attitudes of people in black and minority, lesbian, gay and bisexual communities towards policing in the North.
Speaking at the launch of the reports in Belfast yesterday, representatives from the Institute for Conflict Research (ICR), which compiled the findings, said half the ethnic minorities interviewed were "satisfied with the police response to reported hate crime". However, a quarter expressed dissatisfaction with how the PSNI treated their complaint.
"Many of the ethnic groups felt that the police did not take crime against them seriously, particularly Travellers," said an ICR spokesperson.
Almost a quarter of the gays, lesbians and bisexuals surveyed said they would consider joining the PSNI, while 46 per cent wouldn't join, as they would have "little confidence in how they would be treated". The reports recommended the PSNI adopt a "screening process" for new recruits to identify homophobic attitudes.