Polish people have been victims of more racist incidents than any other non-British group in the Highlands, it has emerged.
Northern Constabulary say that, of the racist incidents reported to them in recent years, the “most commonly targeted" people were Poles.
A spokesman said: “We believe that Polish workers are being targeted due to increased competition for jobs following the current economic downturn.”
Members of the Polish community say there has been increased animosity towards them in recent months.
Inverness Polish Association chairwoman Zosia Fraser said: “Many of our members continue to experience resentment from people in the community.
“It has been ongoing since Poles started arriving in the country in large numbers, and with the recent scramble for jobs it has become more and more obvious.”
Aberdeen Polish Association president Grazyna Jeffreys added: “I don’t think that Polish people in the north of Scotland feel safe.
“There is a media stir-up about the crisis in the economy and the first ones that people blame are the migrant workers.”
Yesterday, the Federation of Poles in Great Britain appealed to the UK Government to introduce measures to help migrant workers feel safer and less alienated.
A federation spokesman said: “We are aware that many of these incidents occur because of growing tension in the traditional indigenous population following increasing anxiety about job losses.
“Media scare stories can fuel resentment of these people at a time like this.”
The federation, which describes itself as the main umbrella organisation for all UK Polish groups, yesterday called for the Westminster government to provide free English-language classes for all European Union citizens living in the UK.
It also wants the government to better regulate lower-paid jobs to stop exploitation of migrant workers, increase the number of Poles recruited to the police service and ensure that local housing authorities integrate non-nationals with people from the UK.
Highlands and Islands MSP Mary Scanlon said more language classes were crucial to help Poles safely integrate with the rest of the community.
She said: “The lack of English-language lessons means many highly qualified migrant workers are forced to take jobs below their skill level.”
No figures for racist incidents against Poles were available in other policing areas.
However, Brian Topping, a councillor in Fraserburgh — which has around 2,000 Polish people living in the area — said he had received no complaints from any Polish constituent.
He said: “I often meet the Polish people who live in the area and they have never voiced complaints about feeling unsafe.”