Somerset Racial Equality Council (SREC) is an independent voluntary sector organisation. It is in the main, linked to the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) through racial harassment, discrimination and compliance work with our race laws.

Somerset Racial Equality Council works mainly in three activity areas: Casework in Racial Harassment and Discrimination, Policy Development and Training and Public Education and Community Development. SREC works in these activity areas to the following CRE objectives by giving due regard to the need to:

1. Eliminate racial discrimination.
2. Promote equality of opportunity.
3. Promote good race relations between people of different racial groups.

SREC was formed in 1995 as a Network. It became a Council in 1999. There are over 100 Racial Equality Councils, RECs, nation-wide. Ten of the RECs are in the South West. SREC cover the counties of Somerset and North Somerset. Bath and North East Somerset has its own REC.

A national risk assessment by the Guardian newspaper shows Somerset as having the 8th highest risk of race-hate crime in the UK.

Our research has shown that 75% of Black and ethnic minority residents in Somerset have been racially harassed.

Police race crime figures decreased by 18% last year but for 2004-2005 were up 42% (this equals about 6 incidents a week) on the previous year’s figures.

Somerset Racial Equality Council last year helped 152 individuals who had been racially harassed or discriminated against.