A Belfast community worker has said that reporting hate crimes to the police is “a waste of their time.”
Alexis Ekwueme from Belfast City of Sanctuary told BBC News NI of the frustration many felt after racist riots broke out across the city over the summer.
Last month, the PSNI also confirmed that race-hate incidents had hit an all-time high over the last year - with 1,411 incidents from July last year to June.
Ms Ekwueme who is from Nigeria and works closely with migrants in the city said that police needed to take the reports more seriously.
Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said there was often practical difficulties in bringing people to justice, with attacks often taking place at night by masked individuals who left little in the way of forensic evidence.
He also promised his officers would to everything in their power “to bring people to justice for these hateful crimes”.
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Ms Ekueme said that although the police response to the violent scenes over the summer had been good, there were doubts about the ability to deal with hate crimes.
“You will see people who will come forward... who have reported several times, and nothing has happened,” she told the BBC.
“Because of that, they feel it is a waste of their time.”
ACC Singleton commented that he did not “underestimate the impact hate crimes have” and that “it is totally unacceptable that anyone is targeted simply because of who they are or where they come from.”
Promising to “stand with our diverse communities against those cowards who would attack them,” he said “we will police this situation as robustly as the law permits and do everything in our power to bring people to justice for these hateful crimes.”
Ms Ekwueme said more people would come forward if they felt police were taking them seriously.
“All you hear is ‘the PSNI will do this, they will do that’ and then you call them, and it is not regarded as what it is.
“Sometimes they say it is just kids.”
Earlier this month, the Justice Minister and Alliance Party leader Naomi Long set out plans to introduce new hate crime legislation before the end of the current Stormont mandate.
The legislation would allow for enhanced criminal sentences where hate motivation is proven and for the hate crime element to be included on criminal records.
A Victims Bill would also allow more specific support to victims and witnesses, including protection from in-person cross-examination by the defendant in hate crime cases.
“These legislative provisions provide a tangible way to deter offenders and strengthen sanctions for hate crime offences as well as supporting hate crime victims through the criminal justice process,” she said.
“Nevertheless, legislation alone will not stop manifestations of prejudice and hate in our society. It is clear that there needs to be a cross-departmental approach to addressing hate with an important emphasis on preventative actions, focused on societal attitudes, education and community cohesion.”
