Minister urges ethnic minorities to join gardaí

Gardaí have been urged to do more to encourage racial diversity within their ranks after a report showed most victims of racist incidents don’t officially report them and the majority of those who do feel badly treated at the Garda station.

The latest figures from the Irish branch of the European Network Against Racism Ireland show that just 21% of racist incidents occurring in the first three months of this year were reported to gardaí. While that is almost double the 11% reported in the previous three months, making the report was off-putting for two thirds of victims, who said the responses they received were negative.

“These vary from the misidentification of racist incidents to gardaí actively refusing to take statements from victims of racism,” the report said.

ENAR Ireland director Shane O’Curry said: “An Garda Síochána needs to dramatically change how it deals with racism in our society. That we are seeing so many cases of peoples’ interaction with gardaí falling at the first hurdle is a striking indicator of a systemic problem.”

“The Garda Racial Intercultural Diversity Office and the 300 ethnic liaison officers throughout An Garda Síochána work with minority communities and individuals on a daily basis to ensure that feel they can turn us to when they are at their most vulnerable,” said a garda spokesperson, urging anyone who has been a victim of a racist or hate crime to inform them so that it can be thoroughly investigated.

Minister of state for equality Aodhán Ó Ríordán described the report as “troubling” and said the call for more racial diversity within the force was a valid one. “I think there is more we can do in role-model professions such as teaching and the gardaí,” he said.

However, he said he was not in favour of ethnic quotas without first exhausting all other efforts to encourage members of minority communities to consider a career with the gardaí.

ENAR compiles its statistics through its ireport.ie site, which allows victims and witnesses to report incidents, anonymously if they wish, whether or not they constitute a crime.

Being subjected to shouting or strong language accounted for 29% of incidents; being unfairly or differently treated while looking for service accounted for 21%; harassment for 18%; physical assaults 14%; threats 13%; and refusal of entry 5%.

Many incidents involved multiple abuses including spitting, damage to property, offensive graffiti, offensive jokes, and abusive comments on social media.

Men and women were equally vulnerable to racist incidents but black African males stood out as the most likely to suffer. Almost all the perpetrators were white males and one in three incidents was perpetrated by a group of two or more.

Victims felt angry, humiliated, shocked, depressed, afraid, belittled, anxious, isolated, and helpless.