Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes To Be Recorded In New Category

Police forces in England and Wales will record anti-Muslin hate crimes as a specific category in the recorded crime statistics, bringing them in line with reporting of anti-Semitic attacks.

The news follows the first meeting of the new Community Engagement Forum, hosted on Monday by the Prime Minister.

Creating a separate category will enable police, prosecutors, local authorities and the communities they serve to have a better understanding of the prevalence of anti-Muslim hate crime and allocate resources accordingly. It will provide the first accurate picture of the extent of anti-Muslim hate crime in England and Wales.

Prime Minister David Cameron said: "I want this government to be as bold in delivering social reform as we have been in economic - and a big social problem we need to tackle to rebuild Britain as an even greater country is extremism.

"We all have a role to play in confronting extremism. That’s why I have invited important Muslim and non-Muslim figures to join the new Community Engagement Forum so I can hear directly about their work in our communities, the challenges they face and so that they can be part of our one nation strategy to defeat it.

"I want to build a national coalition to challenge and speak out against extremists and the poison they peddle. I want British Muslims to know we will back them to stand against those who spread hate and to counter the narrative which says Muslims do not feel British. And I want police to take more action against those who persecute others simply because of their religion."

Home Secretary Theresa May added: "Hate crime has no place in Britain and I am determined to make further progress to ensure we can eradicate this deplorable act.

"Working with police to provide a breakdown in religious-based hate crime data will help forces to build community trust, target their resources and enable the public to hold them to account.

"Our counter-extremism strategy will be published later this month and will introduce a wide range of measures to defeat all forms of extremism. These will empower communities to confront extremist ideologies, and build more cohesive communities where everyone feels able to succeed."

The Forum will initially include around 30 multi-faith representatives from across the country and is an opportunity for the Prime Minister to hear directly from those taking a leading role challenging extremism in our communities. They will also be consulted on how best to improve the security of faith institutions and their recommendations will be considered as part of the wider work of the Prime Minister’s Extremism Taskforce.

(MH/CD)