ABSTRACT

Through the centuries Scotland has a history of successful multiculturalism with its population mix of Vikings, Picts, Welsh, Irish, Jews, Italians, Poles and many more. Since the 1950s this open welcome and unique elements of Scottish culture and identity have interfaced successfully with other incoming cultures from Africa, India and Pakistan. This has made police race relations significantly different from those experienced elsewhere in the United Kingdom (Hall 1999). Until the middle of the twentieth century there were fewer than 500 Muslims living in Scotland; now there are over 50,000.