UK Police to Record Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes as Separate Category
It will bring Islamophobia in line with anti-Semitic attacks targeting Jewish people, which have been recorded separately for some time.
According to the government, creating a separate category across the board would enable police, prosecutors, councils and the communities they serve to have a better understanding of the prevalence of anti-Muslim hate crime and allocate resources accordingly.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron is set to attend the first meeting of a new community engagement forum to announce new funding for the security of all faith establishments, including mosques, Press TV reported.
The forum will discuss the objectives of the government's upcoming counter-extremism strategy, which is due for publication later this month.
Cameron said earlier: "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.”
Hate crimes in England and Wales have risen by 18%, UK the Home Office said. Statistics show that police recorded 52,528 hate crimes in 2014/15, up from 44,471 in 2013/14. According to the state-funded BBC, more than 80% were classed as race hate crimes, with others involving religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender victims.
Hate crime is defined as an offence which is perceived to be motivated by hostility or prejudice towards someone based on a personal characteristic.
