THE race-hate 'shock report' (LET, July 2) is welcomed by police chiefs and in your editorial as its statistics on racial harassment incidents in Blackburn show an apparent increase of 870 per cent in just 12 months.

These are compiled by the town's Racial Equality Council and help to justify its existence.

I recall Willie Whitelaw, when Home Secretary, exclaiming shock and surprise at the Brixton, Birmingham and Bristol riots of 1981. The knee-jerk reaction to quell the problem was to throw lots of money at it.

So-called 'deprived' districts of Blackburn have had an abundance of finance and grants continually poured into them.

After 12 months of compiling figures, the REC have not yet presented a formula to solve racism - indigenous or ethnic - the purpose for which they created their salaried jobs.

Perhaps it is naive to think they ever will. Human nature being what it is, you can lead a horse to the trough but you can not make it drink.

J A MARSDEN, Scarborough Road, Blackburn.

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