Cracks in the fabric of society:

KEY ACTION PROPOSED IN THE FIGHT AGAINST RACIST VIOLENCE

KEY recommendations in the report include:

The creation of a new offence of racially motivated violence.

Chief constables should make it clear to their officers that racist behaviour will not be tolerated.

Racial incident units should be attached to police stations nationally. Interpreter services should also be provided.

The Police Complaints Authority should improve its image, and become higher-profile.

The Public Order Act was inadequate to deal with racial harassment. The prosecution should be required only to prove that a reasonable person would expect harassment to result from a suspect's actions, rather than prove that the suspect had intended to harass. The penalty should be increased from pounds 1,000 to 12 months in prison.

The Crown Prosecution Service should record the proportion of race-attack cases discontinued, those downgraded and the charges that led to convictions.

The Director of Public Prosecutions should remind the CPS to tell the court of any evidence of racial motivation in a case.

Permission to prosecute cases involving incitement of racial hatred should be obtained from the Director of Public Prosecutions rather than seek the Attorney-General's consent.