Attacks Against Islamist Risen

The number of crimes against Muslims in England and Wales has risen over the past year.

New figures suggest there has been an increase in attacks following the murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich last May.
In that month alone, 104 anti-Muslim incidents were recorded.
In London there have been 500 offences this year compared to 336 in 2012. In Greater Manchester the number of incidents has doubled from 75 last year to 130 this year.

But for some regions, such as Norfolk, Bedfordshire and North Wales, the figure has fallen.
In other areas, the number of crimes recorded was in the low single figures.

The Press Association sent Freedom of Information requests to every police force in England and Wales.
However, some police forces do not record whether or not an incident is motivated by religion making the figures incomplete and therefore hard to analyse.

For example, a Northumbria Police spokesman told the Press Association that "Information is not held specifically for anti-Muslim hate crimes," adding: "We do not have a recording system which allows for the recording of specific religions."

South Yorkshire Police said its crime management system "does not facilitate the recording of anti-Muslim hate crime separately to other forms of religious hate crimes".
The system "solely relies on what information is entered by the inputter recording the crime", a spokesman said.
Around half of the police forces contacted were unable to supply details.

In response to the figures, Labour's shadow Home Office minister Helen Jones said: "No one should fear violence, crime or hostility because of their race, religion or sexuality.
"Across the country people are united in their condemnation of those who pursue hatred and division. Extremists of all kinds will still try to divide us.

"Those who pursue extremism and hatred need to learn that when they seek to divide they unite - when they try to further their aims through violence they don't succeed.
"The police, working with local communities, need to do everything possible to catch those responsible for hate crime."


Skynews