Criminal Justice (No 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004
2004 No. 1991
2.Background and Policy Objectives
Racial, sectarian, disability and homophobic crime
Recent years have seen an increase in the number of racist incidents recorded by police in Northern Ireland and although the actual number of attacks may seem small, Northern Ireland has a higher ratio of racist incidents for the size of the ethnic minority population compared with England and Wales. There have also been increases in recorded incidents involving victims defined by their sexual orientation and a rising concern about attacks on the disabled.