Met Commissioner visits east London to strengthen ties with faith communities

Police chief Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe met the director of a homeless charity on a visit to east London to strengthen ties with different faith communities.

The Commissioner for London policing also dropped into East London Mosque and the London Muslim Centre in Whitechapel on Thursday April 30 as part of an event attended by over 40 faith and community leaders.

Special guests included Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, chairman of the East London Mosque, and Keith Fernett, director of Anchor House, a homeless charity which runs programmes with a Catholic ethos in Canning Town.

A wide range of topics were discussed including stop and search statistics, the recruitment of ethnic minorities to the police force, and how Safer Neighbourhood teams work.

Speaking about the evening, Anchor House Director Keith Fernett said, “I was very honoured by the invitation to be part of this important dialogue.

“Anchor House has a large number of Muslim residents and it’s heartening to hear a warm and respectful discussion on ways to improve relations between the police and the wider community.”