Muslims ‘have more trust in police than general community’

The study suggested Muslims have a higher level of trust and confidence in the police than the general population.

Levels of “cohesion” within Muslim communities has recovered after a decline following the 2005 bombings on the London transport network, the report found.

The Government set up its Prevent strategy after the bombings to stop people becoming or supporting terrorists.

The Universities’ Police Science Institute at Cardiff University (UPSI) report found that Muslim men remained more positive about policing overall than the general population, but younger Muslims under the age of 35 have a less positive attitude towards the local police than their elder peers.

Muslim communities also expressed a higher level of concern about disorder, hate crime and burglary when compared to the general population.

Sir Norman Bettison, Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police and the Association of Chief Police Officers lead on Prevent, said: “This research is extremely encouraging. The police service has invested considerable resources into community engagement within the Prevent arena and significant progress has been made.

“We recognise that we are still learning and that we have more work to do, alongside our partners, to fully engage with all communities as we move forward.

“We have always made it clear that preventing violent extremism is a long-term endeavour and that there is no quick fix to the challenges we face.”

The report was commissioned by the Acpo Terrorism and Allied Matters Business Area.