Crimes of Violence

Andrew Rosindell
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many violent sectarian incidents were reported in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998.

Paul Goggins
PSNI has only recorded these statistics since 2005. In 2005-06 there were 700 recorded violent crimes with a sectarian motivation compared to 542 in 2006-07.

This is a marked and welcome reduction in what are mindless and despicable crimes which have no place in today's Northern Ireland society. There is a level of co-operation developing across Northern Ireland by the public with the police, which is dramatically different from what we've seen in the past.