Senior police officers have warned Manchester Jews that failing to report antisemitic incidents is hampering police efforts to stamp out hate crime.
At a meeting arranged by the Salford force for Jewish community members on Monday, Chief Superintendent Robert Potts said: “We know for a fact that there is under-reporting [of antisemitism].” Official numbers for incidents remained low despite a spike in January’s figures resulting from the Gaza conflict.
Inspector Steve Bailey said another consequence of poor reporting figures was that applications for CCTV to cover Jewish areas would be given a low priority.
But one community representative argued that preventing antisemitism was more important than convicting offenders, pointing out: “There were messages after the 7/7 bombings not to take anger out on the Muslim community. Should there be messages put out to other communities that what happens 2,500 miles away shouldn’t be taken out on the Jewish community?”
The meeting concluded with a call to better publicise a new police initiative which allows local antisemitic incidents to be reported at Brackman’s bakery and the offices of welfare charity The Fed.