BURY will stage a major conference on race issues to promote greater information sharing. It will be arranged by the Community Safety Partnership which includes Bury police, the council, Probation Service, Victim Support and other key agencies.

Around 150 delegates are expected to attend Bury Town Hall on Thursday, March 29. Inspector Malcolm Kerford, community affairs officer with Bury police, is the architect of the summit.

He said: "Many of the agencies involved in the partnership undertake work on a daily basis, which is important in today's climate. This conference is aimed at making people more aware of what is being done to combat racist activity."

He added: "The aim is to make the information more available and to highlight the efforts of the departments to move forward.

"The conference will be an excellent opportunity to learn and understand what everyone is doing and to input suggestions."

Insp Kerford said: "We hope benefits can be derived from information sharing, that people can understand everything that is going on and fit into programmes where help is needed."

Topics to be covered include asylum seekers, racist policy in schools, working with victims, the role of the Crown Prosecution Service and the work undertaken by Bury Racial Equality Council.

The conference comes five months after the murder of taxi driver Tariq Javed, which shocked the ethnic community.