It took a major police effort in Cyprus and London to put the accused in the dock. In police-speak, resources mean seriousness. There is now in place a force-wide effort to raise the status of racially motivated crimes, known as Operation Athena. Reports and arrests for racially motivated crimes have tripled in the past six months compared to last year. Despite a shortage of detectives, new community safety units are to handle crimes such as graffiti and hate mail.
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For beleaguered ethnic minorities, this attention is welcome. But crime figures are rising again, fuelled partly by new recording procedures. Ironically, the successes of the past year feed the arguments of critics, on both sides, dissatisfied with what is happening. Last week, at the Reel inquest, DCI Hill said they now believed the black community had confidence in the police. There were jeers from the public gallery which expressed the dissatisfaction of many black activists with the pace of change.