Met Police and TfL join forces to curb Islamophobic hate crime on London’s transport network

The Metropolitan Police and Transport for London are holding a series of events as part of a campaign against Islamophobic hate crime on London’s transport system.

TfL and the Met are organising community events as part of National Hate Crime Awareness Week to reassure communities that London’s trains, buses and Tubes are safe for everyone.

Officers from the Metropolitan Police and British Transport Police attended East London Mosque and Stratford bus station on Monday in an attempt to encourage the reporting of hate crime. Police figures show that Islamophobic hate crime offences have increased most amongst all types of hate crime in the capital, rising 21% over the past 12 months from 1,351 offences to 1,642 offences.

Sophie Linden, London’s deputy mayor for policing and crime said: “Hate crime of any kind has no place in London, and the Mayor has been clear that the Met Police should take a zero-tolerance approach to it. We all need to work together to tackle these awful crimes.”

Nozmul Hussain, Chief Executive of the East London Mosque Trust, explained the mosque’s involvement in the initiative. He stated, “We want to send a clear message, that you do not have to be afraid and that you can report incidents discreetly to the police.”

The mosque also operates a third party reporting centre, which are neutral locations where people can report hate crimes without having to contact the police. Anybody who has been a victim of Islamophobic hate crime or discrimination can also receive support by contacting the Islamophobia Response Unit online.