Today the Government are announcing the publication of the “Race for Justice Taskforce Report”. The taskforce was set up by the Attorney-General in response to one of the specific recommendations made in a report of the Gus John Partnership in 2003 entitled “Race for Justice”. That report recommended establishing a holistic approach across the criminal justice system to the handling of racist and religious crimes.

The “Race for Justice Taskforce Report” sets out a range of recommendations which aim to improve the handling, investigation and prosecution of racist and religious crime.

The Office for Criminal Justice Reform has produced a cross-agency action plan and will establish a delivery board to take forward the recommendations of the “Race for Justice Taskforce Report”.

We believe that through a more joined-up approach to handling these crimes, we can increase the trust and confidence of people from black and minority ethnic communities in the criminal justice system.

Both the “Race for Justice Taskforce Report” and the original report by Professor Gus John have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.