§ Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether statistics are kept on incidents of an anti-Semitic nature; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. RumboldThe Metropolitan police maintain specific statistics on anti-semitic incidents as part of their records on all racially motivated attacks. Other police forces collect statistics on racial attacks without separate identification of the ethnicity of all victims. The Government remain committed to taking effective action against all forms of racial violence. The desecration of Jewish cemeteries is a particularly distressing example of such behaviour.
The Government and the Association of Chief Police Officers are keeping the situation under constant review, and have had meetings with the Board of Deputies of British Jews to assess the problem. Police forces are aware of the importance of effective liaison with local Jewish community groups, and Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary is monitoring the position closely.