More than 200 people attended the Minhaj ul Quran Mosque in Forest Gate to discuss rising levels of hate crime and community safety.

The event, which was organised by the council and the police, aimed to allow residents to voice their concerns about hate crime, provide reassurance and build trust between the community, police and the local authority.

Panellists were deputy mayor Ken Clark, Det Supt Shabnam Chaudhri, Supt Waheed Khan, Iman Abou Atta and the council’s director of enforcement and safety Matthew Hooper.

Attendees discussed how hate crime can come in many forms and can be motivated by hatred on the grounds of race, religion, sexuality, transgender identity or disability.

Shahid Mahmood, the mosque’s community development manager, said: “For me this truly is a community event, with a huge diversity of people from the community in attendance and actively participating in the question and answer session.”