Cllr Pat Callaghan on making Camden feel safe for all

My heart goes out to the families and friends of the little girls senselessly killed in Southport and to everyone affected by the incident, including the other victims.

It has been sickening to see racist, hate-fuelled violence take place across the country, affecting all communities but in this instance targeted at Muslims, asylum seekers and refugees – who I’m pleased to see our residents have rallied around.

I thank the police for their bravery and tireless work to restore some order, and it has been heartening to see communities rejecting hate and refusing to allow the far right to occupy their streets.

While at the time of writing we have had no major incidents in Camden, we are not complacent and continue to work closely with the police to ensure all our communities are safe and feel reassured that action will be swiftly taken if incidents do occur. This has included increasing visible patrols on the streets and checking in on asylum seekers and refugees in our communities.

Cllr Pat Callaghan has been working with the police to reassure residents (Image: Camden Council)

We have been in close contact with places of worship and we’ve also been encouraging people to report hate crime if they see it. This applies to any community that may be targeted – we know sadly that there has been a rise in both antisemitic and Islamophobic hate crimes in Camden in the past year. We are clear Camden is no place for hate.

I also attended a reassurance meeting with our voluntary and community organisations which had a huge attendance, with over 140 groups present.

This made me reflect on the importance of our strong, diverse communities in Camden and feel proud of our collective programme of events, which brings our communities together throughout the year.  

Here in Camden, the strong relationships we have and the time we spend together as a community provides the foundations for our response to crisis.

This summer we’ve had a full programme of community events celebrating key aspects of Camden culture.

We’ve marked South Asian Heritage Month, and multicultural events like Camden Mela and the Regent’s Roots Festival have showcased the vibrancy and creativity of our communities. There have been open-air cinema events, screenings of the football and the Olympics and street parties and events on our estates.

These don’t happen by chance – they are a result of a lot of hard work from a range of organisations and people – but the long-lasting impact they have is priceless. Memories are made together, conversations started, the sharing of experiences and moves towards mutual understanding.

More formal structures like our Interfaith Network, which brings faith leaders and representatives together to discuss the challenges we face, also provide a forum for this important dialogue. 

Let’s never underestimate the power of community. Let’s look out for our neighbours, check in on those around us and stand together against those who seek to divide us.

• Cllr Pat Callaghan is cabinet member for Safer Communities and deputy leader at Camden Council.