Synopsis: Operation Bristol Nightsafe: a partnership approach to racial harassment

Updated and transferred from renewal.net. Bristol is a city with a multicultural population of nearly 381,000. Nine per cent of the population are from ethnic minority communities. Asian taxi drivers had been reporting that they were increasingly being subject to racist behaviour in the city. This led to the launch of a multi-agency initiative called Bristol Nightsafe, to help tackle the problem and make Bristol a safer place for everyone after dark. Bristol Partnership Against Racial Harassment set up a working group to drive a new anti-racism initiative forward. The crime and disorder reduction partnership (CDRP) identified the extent of racially motivated incidents that taxi drivers were experiencing, analysed the results and identified several ways of addressing the problems. It was made easier for taxi driver affected by racial behaviour to report it to the authorities. Taxi drivers were also made aware of what they could expect from agencies. The Cab-Watch initiative was introduced. Closed circuit television (CCTV) was installed within cabs and this was supported by an awareness-raising campaign. Taxi marshals were also employed to maintain order at taxi ranks. The project is now jointly run by Bristol City Council’s licensing department, Support Against Racist Incidents (SARI), the local police and British Transport Police. The initiative is reducing the level of fear of crime and harassment suffered by BAME taxi drivers in Bristol and making a significant difference to their working lives. In 2007 Bristol Nightsafe won a prestigious national innovation award.