IC codes are shorthand terms used by the British police in radio communications to describe the apparent ethnicity of a suspect. The codes are based on a police officer's perceived view of an individual's ethnicity, as opposed to that individual's self-definition. In most circumstances where an individual's ethnicity is recorded after spoken contact with police (such as a "Stop and Search" or arrest), police are required to use a different set of codes called SDE (Self Defined Ethnicity), or "16 + 1". The IC codes are:
- IC1 – White European
- IC2 – Dark European
- IC3 – Afro-Caribbean
- IC4 – Asian (in the British sense - ie Indian or Pakistani)
- IC5 – Oriental
- IC6 – Arab/North African
- IC0 – Unknown ethnicity
Some forces use IC7 as unknown ethnicity. "IC" itself stands for "Identity Code", so "IC code" is a tautology though still commonly used. The codes are also known as PNC or Phoenix Codes. Street Wardens and City Guardians (Westminster City Council) and Police Community Support Officers also use IC Codes on a regular basis.
See also
References
- Mackie, Lindsay: Race causes an initial confusion, The Guardian, 14 June 1978.
- Home Office Research and Statistics Directorate: Ethnic monitoring in police forces: A beginning
- Home Office Research and Statistics Directorate: Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System - 2004
