"Ex senior police admitted they were reluctant to investigate for fear of causing inter-community tension, and it is widely believed that there has been a reluctance to follow up Traveller crime for similar reasons."
One ex senior policeman claimed the police were reluctant to act against Pakistani pimps - no proof has ever been provided.
Following the Stephen Lawrence murder the police were found to be "institutionally racist" - the investigation into that racist murder was so inept (probably deliberately so) that despite the fact that we all know who the killers are, they have never been brought to justice. There is no reason to believe that this would not happen again.
The Brixton riots were sparked off by heavy-handedness on the part of the police.
The latest riots were started by the shooting of an unarmed black man; the police have since admitted that they lied about the shooting.
Matters were made worse in Tottenham by the heavy-handed handling of a peaceful demonstration.
There is no evidence whatever to suggest that the police are soft-pedalling when it comes to cultural minorities in BRITAIN - heavy handed stop-and-searches remain a running sore in black communities.
I've seen first hand how the police treat Travellers - where they can't menace money out of them, of the persecute tham - that was the case when we started back in the 70s - it remains the case.
The idea that they are soft on Traveller crime is utterly ludicrous
You people really can't have it both ways. If the police and the judiciary are as inept and ineffective as you suggest when it comes to crime in the minority communities how can you possible demand that Travellers - or any of us take the law seriously?
I have my criticism of the police and the legal system but on balance I would rather put my trust in them than in a bunch of proven racists/homophobes - a hard-core matching set of three, with couple of symathetic hangers-on.
Jim Carroll