Beat surgeries to be held in mosques
Police officers keen to engage with all sections of the
community have launched new beat surgeries at Southend’s
mosques.
Neighbourhood Specialist Officers (NSOs) are working in
partnership with members of Southend’s mosques to provide a regular
drop-in beat surgery that mosque-users can use to meet their local
bobby, obtain general advice and air their concerns.
NSOs from the Milton and Victoria wards will be holding the
surgeries at the town’s two mosques, situated in Milton Road and
Chelmsford Avenue. The first surgeries were held at both mosques on
Friday February 5 and future dates will be advertised soon.
Mahmudul Hasan, Head Imam at Essex Jamme Masjid Trust in
Chelmsford Avenue said: “We regularly have around 200 visitors to
our mosque and we are aware that many of them may not feel
comfortable raising their community issues and concerns in
public.
"By offering an option whereby they can speak directly to police
officers in a comfortable environment, we hope this will encourage
more of our community members to have a voice.
"By working together with the police, we hope to improve
understanding and help each other.”
Pc Pierre Guilcher is one of the NSOs for the Victoria
ward. He added: “Southend has a large Muslim community and we
are really keen to break down barriers to forge strong links with
them.
"We are extremely grateful that mosque leaders have invited us to
hold beat surgeries in the mosques, as this provides a comfortable
environment for members of the Muslim community to meet their local
police officers and speak to us, via an interpreter if necessary,
to ask questions and air their views.”
Photo: Gulam Kibria, Noor Uddin, Pc Pierre Guilcher, Mahmudul Hasan
and Sham Sul Chowdhury.