Cdn-Firearms Digest Saturday, November 22 2008 Volume 12 : Number 637 In this issue: Column: Time to study race statistics- Christina Blizzard ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 22 Nov 2008 14:08:37 -0600 From: "David R.G. Jordan" Subject: Column: Time to study race statistics- Christina Blizzard Time to study race statistics http://www.torontosun.com/comment/columnists/christina_blizzard/2008/11/21/7484166-sun.html Routinely kept in the U.K., race/crime stats have helped dispel myths and misconceptions By CHRISTINA BLIZZARD, christina.blizzard@sunmedia.ca TORONTO SUN Last Updated: 21st November 2008, 3:27am A controversial item in the report on youth violence by former Ontario chief justice Roy McMurtry and former provincial Legislative Speaker Alvin Curling was the recommendation the province start collecting crime statistics based on race. It's a loaded issue that's always been radioactive for police here. Until now, the belief has been the stats would be used and abused to further stereotype members of minority groups. That hasn't happened in the U.K., where race/crime stats have been routinely kept since 1991. In fact, say groups advocating for fairer justice, it has proved a vital tool in dispelling some of the myths about crime involving visible minorities. Peter Herbert is part of a visiting British delegation attending a crime forum here. He says in Britain, crime stats have helped police and authorities target resources more effectively. "We understand there is a reluctance to record and monitor the ethnic and gender profile of the criminal justice system from start to finish," Herbert said. "We've done that from 1991 comprehensively and it has been a major tool in addressing racism within the criminal justice system, the impact on victims, the profile of perpetrators and it means we can direct resources appropriately," said Herbert, who is chair of the British Society of Black Lawyers and a member of the Bar Council Race Relations committee. The collection of race-based data also helps ensure the courts deal even-handedly with those found guilty of crimes. It has identified situations where judges or magistrates have given stiffer sentences to people from minority groups. In 2000, cities in the north of England were torn apart by rioting among certain ethnic minority groups. Data later proved that those convicted of violent incidents in those riots were dealt with far more harshly than people convicted of similar crimes in a place like Northern Ireland. A white person convicted of throwing a Molotov cocktail in Northern Ireland, for example, was given a lighter sentence than a person doing the same thing in the northern riots. Extensive race-based stats are now kept in Britain, and they have helped in the past dispel myths and misconceptions, such as those about immigrants getting more resources than other people. "If you don't have the data, you can't do anything about it," says lawyer Chris Boothman. "It's all based on stereotypes and guesswork." Det. Sgt. David Macnaghten is with the Violent Crime Directorate of London's Metropolitan Police. He says data collection is "absolutely" essential to police work. 'INFORMATION AND INTELLIGENCE' "Any police response is based on information and intelligence," he said. "To get a fair picture of what is going on, and which communities and individuals are under threat or under potential threat, it is vital to collect this datum, in order to do an appropriate response," he said. The person vindicated by this is OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino. Remember the flak he took 20 years ago when the North York Race Relations committee asked him to collect race-based crime stats? "This thing blew up for all the wrong reasons," Fantino said in an interview yesterday. "At that time we were trying to do nothing different than what is endeavoured here and people are speaking openly about now," he said. "It wasn't to broad-brush or point fingers," he said. "There is inherent danger to any kind of data that is collected, because it is subject to interpretation, so I am always very concerned what interpretation might be given to some of these issues," he said. "I believe that in order to bring focus and be able to solve problems, one has to understand what the problems are to begin with. And that's where the data comes in. "With very limited application, I think it has to be considered an important item from the point of view of just trying to best develop programs and the most strategic and effective way to dedicate resources, to create an impact, an intended outcome," he said. "With any problem, you have to first know what you are dealing with," said Fantino. Don't hold your breath waiting for the province to change its mind on this. "At this point in time we are not going to be collecting statistics any differently than we are now," Public Safety Minister Rick Bartolucci said in an interview yesterday. Oh, good. Never let facts get in the way of preconceived notions. Copyright © 2008 - -- -- Letters to the Editor torsun.editor@sunmedia.ca ------------------------------ End of Cdn-Firearms Digest V12 #637 *********************************** Submissions: mailto:cdn-firearms-digest@scorpion.bogend.ca Mailing List Commands: mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca Moderator's e-mail address: mailto:drg.jordan@sasktel.net List owner: mailto:owner-cdn-firearms@scorpion.bogend.ca FAQ list: http://www.canfirearms/Skeeter/Faq/cfd-faq1.html Web Site: http://www.canfirearms.ca CFDigest Archives: http://www.canfirearms.ca/archives To unsubscribe from _all_ the lists, put the next four lines in a message and mailto:majordomo@scorpion.bogend.ca unsubscribe cdn-firearms-digest unsubscribe cdn-firearms-chat unsubscribe cdn-firearms end (To subscribe, use "subscribe" instead of "unsubscribe".)