Authorities issue message of reassurance

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Police and Council say faith premises given greater protection

Police Borough Commander Dr Ali Dizaei and Mark Gilks Chief Executive of LBH have issued a joint assurance to diverse faith communities across the borough stressing that everything possible is being done to ensure that life can continue as normally as possible following the attacks on 7th July.

Forums that bring together religious leaders from all denominations were already in place before the attacks happened and it is these established relationships which are now providing invaluable in the fight against hate crimes.  Partnerships with minority and religious groups have also enabled the Police to "hit the ground running" in their battle against racist and religious attacks. 

In a letter to religious leaders, the Joint Chairs of the Hounslow Community Safety Programme stated "We urge all faith communities in Hounslow to work with us to reduce the risk of harm to the residents and communities within the borough.  Together we must support parents and schools to reassure children."

There are currently extra Police patrols across the borough which will remain in place for the foreseeable future.  Dr Ali Dizaei stated "This is not a sprint that we will finish in two weeks, it is a sustainable marathon."

Police have a designated vehicle to attend all potentially vulnerable premises once every shift and have relocated some of their mobile CCTV capability to cover identified high-risk premises. 

A total of three hate crimes have been reported in the days following 7th July that have been linked directly to the terrorist attacks, two of which were physical.  Although this is a concern, racially motivated crimes are significantly down on the same period last year. There have however been a sharp increase in the number of suspect packages being reported across the borough bringing the total to 57. Police have reiterated their appeal to members of the public to be especially careful about leaving their bags unattended. There has been one hoax call in the borough since the attack. The police say that they would deal with this type of crime very firmly.

The police continue to be grateful to the public for their response to requests not to ring through on non-urgent matters. Calls to the police fell sharply following the bombings and they would request that members of the public continue to consider carefully whether a call to the police is strictly necessary. Minor crimes can be reported more quickly on-line.

July 19, 2005 8:08 PM