'Counter-Terrorism: The London Debate' - MPA to hear from Asian men

69/06
15 November 2006

‘Counter-Terrorism: The London Debate’ is the Metropolitan Police Authority's programme of community engagement to counter terrorism.

The fifth hearing in the programme will be held on Thursday 16 November 2006 when an invited audience of Asian men will be able to express their opinions and recount their experiences of terrorism and counter-terrorism to the MPA.

This, the fifth MPA hearing, is the last before the Authority presents the views expressed by London’s communities to senior representatives of the British police services and government at the sixth and final debate on Thursday 7 December.

Toby Harris, MPA member with special responsibilities for counter-terrorism, said:

“At present some young Muslim men feel that their communities and cultures are isolated within British society and, to varying degrees, that they are under siege, when everything from their religion to the way they dress is being endlessly debated in the media spotlight.

“We want to hear directly from Asian men, from both Muslim and other Asian communities, what their personal experiences are in the current climate and what they believe can be done to improve community relations.”

At the meeting, presentations will be made by Munir Zamir, a resident of Waltham Forest, Suraj Sehgal, director of the Hindu Council UK, and Dr Jasdev Singh Rai, director of the Sikh Human Rights Group.

Six hearings have been organised by the MPA to give specifically invited London communities the opportunity to express their views about counter-terrorism policing to a panel of Authority members.

The first hearing on Thursday 29 June 2006 enabled young Londoners to put their views to the MPA’s guest, the Commissioner of the Met, Sir Ian Blair. On July 6 at the second hearing representatives from business, tourism and local government expressed their views to Assistant Commissioner Steve House.

Faith group representatives attended the third hearing on 7 September to recount their experiences to Deputy Assistant Rose Fitzpatrick, who was present once again when women’s groups added their voice to the debate at the fourth hearing on 5 October.

Speaking about the next steps for the MPA, Toby continued:

“The next strand of our programme of community engagement is to hold a series of confidential focus groups with students in London universities to discuss their experiences of terrorism and their views regarding extremism within communities and terrorist recruitment and radicalisation on campus.

“This is an area of specific concern at the moment and the Authority wants to gather as much information as possible to inform our work and help us to gain a better understanding of the nature of the threat and to make concrete recommendations for the future of policing in the capital.”

Notes to editors

1. Hearings start at 18:00 and are held at the MPA headquarters: 10 Dean Farrar Street, London, SW1H 0NY (nearest tube St. James’s Park).

2. Press are invited to attend but we request no filming or audio recording.

3. Toby Harris, MPA member with special responsibility for counter-terrorism, Cindy Butts and Reshard Auladin, both deputy chairs of the MPA, form the MPA panel that hears evidence presented by invited communities.

4. There will also be external guest panellists at each hearing. For the hearing on 16 November the guest panellist will be Professor Tariq Ramadan of Oxford University.

5. A senior MPS officer will be invited to each session to provide an initial response to the communities’ issues and then take questions from the group. The MPS respondent at the hearing on 16 November will be Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur - the country's most senior Asian police officer.

6. The programme for the six hearings is:

• Thursday 29 June - young people
• Thursday 6 July – councillors, business and tourism representatives
• Thursday 7 September - faith groups
• Thursday 5 October - women
• Thursday 16 November - Asian men
• Thursday 7 December - police and government

7. In addition to these hearings this work includes:

• a series of confidential focus groups with students in London universities thirty-two local consultations - one in every London borough
• analysis of qualitative data received through the MPA website
• a publication, featuring contributions from practitioners, commentators and community representatives

8. Attendance at this programme of events is by invitation only.

9. Further information about the MPA’s programme of events can be found at:
www.mpa.gov.uk/issues/counterterrorism

10. Confidential anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321

11. Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111

12. Communities Together helpline: 0800 028 2390

Further media information

For further information, please contact the MPA press office

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