POLICE and council chiefs have vowed that hate crime in the district won’t be tolerated.

They issued the pledge as the spotlight was shone on work being carried out locally to tackle the issue.

Awareness was raised as part of a national week-long campaign.

Councillor Abdul Jabar, Bradford Council’s executive member for neighbourhoods and community safety, said: “Every member of our community should be able to live their lives safe and free from verbal, physical or emotional attack – wherever they live, learn, work or play in this district.

“By working together we can build community cohesion and not fall prey to the forces that seek to divide us, such as Islamophobia.

“All forms of hate crime continue to have a massive impact upon victims and the quality of people’s lives. We won’t stand by and let prejudice and discrimination win.”

Chief Superintendent Scott Bisset, Bradford Police district commander, said the force and partner organisations are doing everything possible to support victims and bring offenders to justice.

He added: “The law is clear. Hate crime is exactly that, a crime.

“Abusing someone because they are different can have devastating effects on victims, their families and friends. It can cause fear, anger and resentment in the wider community. It happens for no other reason than the offenders’ ignorance, intolerance and cowardice.

“West Yorkshire Police stands shoulder to shoulder with other partners and the public to tackle this pernicious criminal behaviour.

“We recognise that hate crime has been under-reported for some time and we continue to work hard with the public and our partners to give victims the confidence to come forward – and reassure them their complaints will be taken seriously.”

Among organisations working with the council and police is Bradford Hate Crime Alliance.

Its chairman, Dr Martin Baines, said: “Hate crime in any form has no place in the district.

“I would like to thank our community-based hate crime reporting centres, which play an important role in recording incidents in the communities.

“Don’t be a bystander – we must all stand up against hate, and work together in order to build a better and safer district.”

Efforts are being carried out by the council with partners such as Bradford Council for Mosques to formulate a nationally-recognised definition of Islamophobia.

Zulfi Karim, secretary general of the Bradford Council of Mosques, said: “We stand firm against hate crimes motivated towards any individual regardless of their background.”