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GMP looks to break down barriers

28/08/2008

Salford police are hoping to raise cultural awareness of Ramadan throughout the region.

An event is being jointly organised by Greater Manchester Police, the Salford Link Project and the local Neighbourhood Management team to stress the importance of the key Muslim festival.

The initiative will involve a number of speakers from the Eccles Mosque explaining the reasons behind Ramadan and why Muslims choose to celebrate the event. Officers will also talk about how to report incidents of hate crime.

Howard Lawrenson, community and race relations officer for the Salford division, explained: "Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer and doing good deeds and Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink during daylight hours."

He added that it was important to raise awareness to "break down barriers" that exist in some sectors of the local community in order to reduce any potential hate crimes by directly tackling peoples' prejudice.

Manchester police have already confirmed that there will be an increased officer presence during the month to help combat the annual rise in household burglaries committed during the festival, as thieves target the empty homes of those attending mosque services.