Drive to calm ethnic unease

There is an increasingly tense atmosphere in the area

Police in Bristol are working to calm growing tensions between two ethnic groups.

The Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police, Steve Pilkington, has spoken about an increasingly tense situation in the city.

It came to a head at the end of last month with a stand-off between Somalis and West Indians in the Easton area.

A Somali restaurant was damaged and several cars were vandalised following a row over a parking space.

We need to tackle the underlying social and economic causes, like deprivation, unemployment and lack of education.

Ahmed Hedse, Somali community leader

Mr Pilkington said: "It was quite a large disturbance resulting in a tense evening in central Bristol.

"We put into place procedures which involved close liaison with community leaders and it successfully calmed the situation."

There are about 4,000 Somalis in Bristol. Many are war refugees who have been in the city for about five years.

One Somali community leader in Bristol, Ahmed Hedse, believes the problems are symptomatic of inner cities.

"We need to tackle the underlying social and economic causes, like deprivation, unemployment and lack of education," he said.

"We're living in an inner-city area which is prone to problems and all these communities have been put together in this problematic area."

Bristol's inner-city communities have worked to maintain a peaceful existence since the St Paul's riots 22 years ago.

Co-operation between the police and community leaders is seen as an important move towards defusing tension among the city's different ethnic groups.