Racist crime suspects walk free - [Sunday Herald]

THOUSANDS charged with race hate crimes in Scotland are walking free, fuelling accusations that the justice system is a “soft touch” for racists. Despite 10,173 people being charged in the past three years with a statutory racist crime or a crime aggravated by racism, only 4180 – fewer than half – have been convicted. More than 1500 suspects had their charges dropped before they came to court. The statistics highlight evidence of a “police lottery”, revealing that in some police areas victims are twice as likely to see their alleged attacker in court as in others. Scottish Muslim leaders said last night the figures would reinforce the existing per ception that racial abuse or harassment was not worth reporting because such crimes were not taken seriously. Asians and Muslims have reported increased abuse in the wake of the London bombings, and so, campaigners argue, there has never been a more crucial time to prosecute racists.