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improving government service delivery to minority ethnic ... - NCCRI

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<strong>improving</strong><br />

<strong>government</strong><br />

<strong>service</strong><br />

<strong>delivery</strong><br />

<strong>to</strong> <strong>minority</strong><br />

<strong>ethnic</strong> groups<br />

Chapter 2: Northern Ireland Research Findings 74_75<br />

131_Radford, K., Betts, J<br />

and Ostermeyer, M (2006)<br />

Policing, Accountability<br />

and the Black and Minority<br />

Ethnic Communities in<br />

Northern Ireland. ICR,<br />

Belfast.<br />

132_Ibid.<br />

The police here are keen <strong>to</strong> interact and are very supportive…I have had a good<br />

experience<br />

What became clear in the discussions was that policing differed from area <strong>to</strong> area and some PSNI officers<br />

were more supportive than others,<br />

I am aware of discrimination in some areas ***(name of 3 <strong>to</strong>wns) are particularly bad.<br />

Moni<strong>to</strong>ring and recording of racist attacks<br />

It was felt by many that incidents had <strong>to</strong> be moni<strong>to</strong>red and recorded in a better way <strong>to</strong> give a more accurate<br />

picture of the situation.<br />

Support <strong>to</strong> victims<br />

Although some were very positive of the support received from the police others felt that victims did not get<br />

adequate support at the time of the incident or after an incident. Recent research conducted by ICR 131 found<br />

many of the problems <strong>minority</strong> <strong>ethnic</strong> communities had with the police were related <strong>to</strong> the quality of the <strong>service</strong>.<br />

These included a failure <strong>to</strong> take respondents seriously, unsatisfac<strong>to</strong>ry <strong>service</strong>, failure <strong>to</strong> keep victims informed or<br />

<strong>to</strong> follow up calls.<br />

The issue of victims not wanting <strong>to</strong> report attacks directly<br />

It was recognised by some representatives that some victims did not want <strong>to</strong> report attacks directly thus they<br />

went unreported. Many stated that there was fear of reprisals and also a lack of understanding of the process<br />

of reporting crimes. In the research conducted by ICR 132 one third of respondents stated that they had not<br />

reported the incident as they thought the police would ignore them because of their <strong>minority</strong> <strong>ethnic</strong> status. The<br />

report also found that those who had contact with the police were more likely <strong>to</strong> say that the police were racist.<br />

Employment<br />

Unequal rights<br />

For many the issues around employment related <strong>to</strong> unequal rights such as contracts not being issued, unequal<br />

pay with low wages, longer hours, no right <strong>to</strong> sick leave and/or pay and unfair dismissal. It was noted by some<br />

that conditions were <strong>improving</strong> but that individuals still were experiencing unfair treatment.<br />

In addition the issue of accommodation being tied <strong>to</strong> employment was also raised as problematic with cases<br />

where people lost their job and then subsequently lost their accommodation and became homeless.<br />

Lack of support<br />

Some respondents also stated that they found fellow workers unfriendly,<br />

First day I say hello and my name…everybody you are Slovak…no good not friendly…<br />

they didn’t want <strong>to</strong> have nice relationships between Slovak and Irish.<br />

Others felt that management did not support their efforts <strong>to</strong> attend English classes,<br />

I was in class Thursday and Saturday but my work changed…now no time because of<br />

my shifts…I was <strong>to</strong>ld it was my problem.

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