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MEND Preston: Importance of Police Engagement

MEND Preston: Importance of Police Engagement

Categories: Past Event Articles

Wednesday August 26 2020

On Thursday 13th August, volunteers from our MEND Preston Working Group, who form part of the Deepdale Community Association, met with the neighbourhood police in their locality to discuss some of their concerns. The WG felt it was important for the Muslim community to engage positively with the police in order to ensure that community concerns are being voiced in productive forums and so that collaborative work can be done to bring about change.

With a councillor present and chairing the meeting, it was an important session in bringing together some of the key stakeholders in the area to begin to work positively in tackling Islamophobia. During the meeting we discussed issues that currently hindered the ability of Muslim communities to engage with the neighbourhood policing teams. We spoke about how the two can work together towards shared outcomes. Discussions around cultural sensitivities and awareness were had, with the discrimination and marginalisation that the Muslim community felt and were subjected to as the backdrop of the conversation.

Communication was highlighted as one of the main issues in community-police relations and the police reps at the meeting talked through their policy regarding communication and how this looked in practice. This was to provide transparency into any shortcomings in their practice and to identify how community leads could help to streamline the communication processes for specific community concerns.

Following the meeting, the Neighbourhood Policing Teams agreed to undergo Islamophobia Awareness training with MEND. This will allow them to get an insight into the extent of Islamophobia and how this plays out in the everyday lives of Muslims. It will also be an opportunity for them to see how they, as stakeholders, can also work towards tackling the issue of Islamophobia.

If you, your team or your organisation would like to know more about how you can tackle Islamophobia, be sure to get in touch at [email protected].

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