'Reporting hate crimes to police is a waste of time’

Alexis Ekwueme is a member of the Belfast City of Sanctuary committee

People who experience hate crimes believe it is “a waste of their time" reporting the incidents to police, a Belfast community worker has said.

Earlier this month, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) released figures which showed reported race hate crimes in the last 12 months were at their highest level since records began in 2004.

Alexis Ekwueme, who works closely with migrants in the city, told BBC News NI that police must do more to reassure ethnic minority groups that reports will be taken seriously.

Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said the force would do everything in its power “to bring people to justice for these hateful crimes”.

In August, businesses and homes in south Belfast were damaged following an anti-immigration protest in the city centre.

A Stormont committee was also told ethnic minority communities have seen a "failure in addressing racism" in Northern Ireland.

Ms Ekwueme said, while the police response to the violence was good, there was still a lack of confidence in the force to handle hate crimes.

Businesses were set alight in south Belfast in what police described as "racially motivated violence"

Previously Ms Ekwueme, who is Nigerian, said people in her community had organised events with the police in response to hate crimes they had experienced.

“You will see people who will come forward... who have reported several times, and nothing has happened,” she told BBC News NI.

“Because of that, they feel it is a waste of their time.”

In a statement, ACC Bobby Singleton said the PSNI did not “underestimate the impact hate crimes have” on victims, families and the wider community.

"It is totally unacceptable that anyone is targeted simply because of who they are or where they come from,” he added.

ACC Singleton said police will “continue to stand with our diverse communities against those cowards who would attack them".

“We will police this situation as robustly as the law permits and do everything in our power to bring people to justice for these hateful crimes," he added.

'More action needed'

Ms Ekwueme said there needed to be fewer words and more action taken to gain the trust of people in communities across Northern Ireland.

“If the police are actually convincing us that something will happen, maybe people will [report] more," she said.

“All you hear is ‘the PSNI will do this, they will do that’ and then you call them, and it is not regarded as what it is.

“Sometimes they say it is just kids.”

Derek Egoize says young people were affected by last month's violence

The comments were made during an event at Ormeau Road Library in south Belfast to mark Good Relations Week.

Among those in attendance was Derek Egoize, who works with young people at Diverse Youth.

He said he came to the event to hear from the police directly about how they are ensuring the safety of the migrant community following last month’s violence.

“Their [young people] confidence is gone... they didn’t know it could go to this level,” he said.

Police ‘a service not a force’

Ballynafeigh Community Development Association CEO Gerry Turbitt, who works closely with ethnic minority communities, said people had “become so inured to the insults and the incidents”.

Mr Turbitt said there was a “degree of work” needed to raise awareness of hate crime incidents.

But, he added, the police have made strides in recent years to transform the way they are seen within ethnic minority communities, which has given them more confidence to report issues.

Gerry Turbitt says there has been a change in how ethnic minorities view the police

Mr Turbitt said some people view the police as a service rather than a force.

“Where the police officers and members of the community can interact with each other without worry – that’s good policing to me," he said.

The Diverse Communities and Policing in South Belfast event was organised by Libraries NI and Belfast City of Sanctuary.

The group aims to make Belfast a welcoming environment for refugees, asylum seekers and other communities.