Report hate incidents, crime or not, says Met

Police are urging Londoners to report hate incidents, even when they do not meet the legal threshold for a crime.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said officers still needed to hear about them because the information helps track rising tensions in communities.

His comments at the launch of the British Muslim Trust (BMT) follow the Met's announcement last year that it would stop investigating incidents that were not legally defined as crimes but perceived as motivated by hostility towards characteristics such as race, religion or gender.

BMT, a government-funded organisation set up to monitor anti-Muslim hate, said the move caused confusion among victims and communities.

Sir Mark said he wanted to focus his "limited resources on the things Parliament says are illegal".

However, when asked what he would say to a victim who may not understand the distinction, he said: "If someone feels threatened because of their race or religion they should call us.

"We will work out whether it's a crime. In either event we need to know about it.

"If it's a sign of escalating tension in an area or escalating tension between neighbours, we want to know about it."

The BMT aims to collect and record data on anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia in the UK, and support people who make reports via its service.

Also present at the launch were the Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan, the chairwoman of the Women and Equalities Committee, Sarah Owen, faith and communities minister Miatta Fahnbulleh and professional rugby player Zainab Alema.

In his speech, Sir Sadiq recalled the hate he experienced growing up in London in the 1970s, adding: "Now though, the extremists are trying to turn back the clock on the progress we've made."

A helpline has also been set up for people to report hate incidents, including a WhatsApp contact, webchat and dedicated email address.

The Commissioner was also asked about Met officers who were filmed in a BBC Panorama documentary making racist and sexist comments.

Last October's Panorama programme showed officers calling for immigrants to be shot, revelling in the use of force, and being dismissive of rape claims.

Sir Mark said "it's no secret" the Met had "lost grip of its integrity issues", and that he took on the role of Commissioner determined to "sort that out".

He added: "We're in a more hateful world. We're being brutal about our vetting when we recruit people and about the standards we expect."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk