POLICE chiefs and other organisations were today pledging themselves against racism at a conference held one year after the Stephen Lawrence inquiry.

Thames Valley Police Chief Constable Charles Pollard was attending the conference, which is being staged by Oxfordshire Racial Equality Council.

Mr Pollard was expected to tell delegates in St Giles that much had been done by the force to fulfil recommendations made by Sir William Macpherson, and that more would be accomplished over the coming weeks and months.

He said yesterday: "I believe significant progress has been made.

"We have reviewed our position, assessed our failings and planned our route ahead. "We are addressing the issue of diversity both internally and externally. Our success will rely on how effectively we work with the communities we serve. But we are committed to getting things right."

A force-wide community and race relations strategy was launched last September which made a public commitment to tackle intolerance.

Since the beginning of last year, officers have been required to report all incidents of a racist nature - not just crimes.

As a result, the number of recorded incidents increased. The number of racist offences recorded between April 1 last year and January 31 was 504 - up 414 on the same period the previous year.

A total of 418 racist incidents, which were not crimes, were also recorded. Police say the figures demonstrate a growing trust in officers to tackle race-related problems.

Story date: Thursday 17 February

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