Please click each section heading for the full text of that section.
Indicators and Data Points
Crime Rates
In the 2020 Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), Grampian had 62 neighbourhoods in Scotland’s highest decile for crime: 42 in Aberdeen City, 13 in Aberdeenshire, and 7 in Moray. At the same time, 118 were in the lowest decile for crime: 30 in Aberdeen City, 67 in Aberdeenshire and 21 in Moray. Using the (very similar) 2012 data in conjunction with Census data, the highest-crime neighbourhoods were home to 42,000 people, of whom three-quarters were Scottish/British, and a quarter were ethnic minorities. The lowest-crime neighbourhoods were home to 36,000 people, of whom 93% were Scottish/British and 7% were ethnic minorities.
Data Source: 2020: Scotland’s Census, Tables LC2205SC and QS203SC; Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation. Link.
Domestic Abuse
The Covid-19 pandemic sparked a significant rise in gender-based violence and domestic abuse across Scotland (and the rest of the world), due to restrictions on movement and an increase in social isolation. As research from RGU put it, “Covid-19 gave perpetrators more tools for control.” In response, increased funding was made available for domestic abuse charities – though many still struggle to meet demand and cope with negative impacts on staff and volunteer wellbeing. There has also been an increase in public awareness campaigns about domestic abuse and coercive control, with posters and information about local support at pharmacies, supermarkets, and even some vaccination centres. However, it is likely that many ethnic minority women are excluded from accessing support due to language issues, cultural differences and other barriers. Aberdeen Violence Against Women Partnership has produced postcards with contact information for domestic abuse support services, including helplines in other languages.
Research conducted by ACVO in 2020 stated that service provision in Aberdeen addressing domestic abuse did not cater for the intersectional needs of people with disabilities, those from ethnic minority communities, LGBTQ+ communities, men and perpetrators.
Domestic abuse support services postcard available here: Link.
Data Source: 2021: Supporting victims of domestic violence during COVID-19: the impact of the pandemic on service providers in North-East Scotland and Orkney. Link.
Prejudice & Hate Crime
Full overviews for each year from 2015 to 2022 can be found on GREC’s Research Page. Broadly speaking, levels of prejudice and hate crime have been increasing across Grampian, with around two-thirds motivated by racism, a quarter by homophobia, and the rest by hatred of other characteristics, including disability, religion and transgender identity. Verbal abuse accounted for three-quarters of incidents in 2021, with physical assault and online abuse each comprising a further 11%.
Hate Crimes Reported to Police in Grampian, 2018-2021
| Year | Grampian Total | Aberdeen City | Aberdeen Shire | Moray |
| 2021 | 489 | 333 | 99 | 54 |
| 2020 | 522 | 329 | 128 | 65 |
| 2019 | 436 | 266 | 106 | 57 |
| 2018 | 351 | 204 | 87 | 60 |
Data Source: 2021: Overview of Hate Crime in Grampian. Link.
Prejudice During Covid-19
At the end of 2020, the Scottish Alliance of Regional Equality Councils (SAREC) carried out a research project to better understand the experiences of Chinese, East and South-East Asian communities in Scotland during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.
In a Scotland-wide survey, 70 community members from Aberdeen took part. In both Aberdeen and across Scotland, around one third of participants had experienced prejudice or hate crime during the pandemic, or were unsure whether they had. Some who were unsure later expanded on situations such as being stared at when wearing a mask, having objects thrown at them, and being uncertain about comments from others because they did not speak English fluently. More than a quarter of Aberdeen participants knew other community members who had experienced prejudice or hate crime during the pandemic, which was lower compared to national figures. Most incidents were not reported to any organisation – in Aberdeen, only one was reported to a relevant institution.
More than half of participants saw or heard racist remarks toward East Asians during the pandemic, whether online or offline, and a quarter saw or heard these on a monthly basis or more often. Overall, 40% of participants felt less safe than before the pandemic, which was slightly lower than the 46% recorded at a national level.
Data Source: 2021: GREC/SAREC: Experiences of Chinese, East and South-East Asian Communities during Covid-19 in Scotland. Link.
Evidence from Relevant Local Research
The Human Cost of Brexit (Safety)
In an online roundtable discussion, members of community groups and third & public sector organisations reflected on Brexit’s impact on EU citizens in North East Scotland. Six speakers presented diverse perspectives and more than 65 people attended the discussion that followed, raising the concerns of local communities.
Though participants did not directly describe experiences of hate crime and prejudice, they did highlight that their sense of hostility at an interpersonal level increased due to Brexit, as well as feeling unwelcomed and not belonging. Some community members had stopped using languages other than English outside their homes to prevent being targeted.
Data Source: 2021: Shared Futures and No Recourse North East. Link.
Aberdeenshire Council Research (Safety)
While data was not collected on participant ethnicity in the Community Survey or Citizens’ Panel Survey, both found that participants knew people in Aberdeenshire who had experienced prejudice, discrimination or harassment (66% and 39%). A smaller proportion (38% and 22%) had experienced prejudice, discrimination or harassment themselves.
In ‘Community Conversations,’ participants were generally positive about safety in Aberdeenshire, despite being aware of a few negative incidents. One New Scot had been subject to name calling but this was resolved by talking with the person who had targeted them. More broadly, participants identified a number of groups who may not feel safe because of a protected characteristic – women, the elderly, and those who live rurally. Notably, this did not include ethnic minorities.
Data Source: 2021: Aberdeenshire Council Equality Outcomes, Interim Engagement Analysis. Link.
Aberdeen Equality Outcomes Consultation (Safety)
During August and September 2020, GREC conducted a survey to gather feedback from people with protected characteristics to feed into Aerdeen City Council’s Equality Outcomes. The survey was complemented by a series of focus groups held in October and November. In total, over 200 people took part.
Between 2017-2020, half of ethnic minority participants in the survey experienced racist prejudice or hate crime, including incidents of online abuse, in-person verbal abuse, inappropriate ‘jokes,’ threats, vandalism, being refused a service, being spat at, and being physically assaulted. Several participants also highlighted the significance of ‘microaggressions,’ where frequent, low-level comments and behaviours have a serious cumulative effect.
Most incidents were not reported, largely because participants felt they were not worth reporting, because they felt they would not be taken seriously, or because they did not want to “make a fuss”. 20% of participants did not know how to report an incident, and 17% felt that reporting was too complicated or difficult. Other reasons for not reporting were fear of retribution (25%), including from work colleagues or managers, discomfort speaking with the police (9%), language issues (5%). A significant number also commented that reporting multiple incidents would be impractical or demoralising – even if they were taken seriously. For example, “When small things happen so frequently you just accept it. Plus, racial gaslighting where white people tell you you’re too sensitive, it’s not racism, if you don’t like it leave, etc.”
GREC Research (Safety)
The following research is summarised below:
- ‘Life in Aberdeen’ and ‘Life in Aberdeenshire’ Surveys, 2018
- ‘Creating a Fairer and More Equal Aberdeen,’ 2016-17
In the 2018 research, a similar proportion of ethnic minority and Scottish/British participants felt their neighbourhoods were safe places to live: 89.5% and 86.3%, respectively. There were similar findings in the 2016-17 research: more than three-quarters of both Scottish/British and ethnic minority participants agreed that Aberdeen is a safe city.
Data Source: 2018: GREC. Link.
Summary & Priorities
The evidence above reflects the ongoing pervasiveness of racism and xenophobia, compared with other hate crime categories. In 2020 the number of reported prejudice and hate crime incidents in Grampian reached its highest level in the last six years. The majority of these incidents related to race/ethnicity, with a rise in incidents targeting people from Africa and the Middle East. The figures are likely to be much higher due to under-reporting, shaped by a series of complex factors. These include lack of knowledge of how to do it or finding it too difficult; fear of retribution; discomfort speaking with the Police; and language issues.
As an indicator of how widespread under-reporting could be, even though official figures showed a slight decrease in incidents targeting Asian people in 2020, evidence suggests that Covid-19 led to a higher proportion of people in Chinese and East Asian communities experiencing prejudice and hate crime, causing them to feel less safe than they did before the pandemic.
Additionally, a rise in gender-based abuse was noted during the pandemic.
Priorities
- Promote how to report hate crime and where to get support.
- Engage with young people in schools and other settings, especially around issues of equality, human rights and gender-based violence.