A specialist Garda hate crimes division should be set up to improve the reporting of offences and the quality of investigations, according to a submission to the Policing Commission.

The State has a responsibility to send “a clear message” that hate crime will not be tolerated, the head of the country’s human rights agency has said.

The recent arrest of two men who were planning an Islamic State-inspired terrorist attack in Sydney (Irish Examiner, February 11), shows the importance of a constant vigilance by a state’s intelligence apparatus.

Nasc, the Irish Immigrant Support Centre, launched an anti-racism social media campaign yesterday for the month of September.