A TOP police officer has told councillors in Inverclyde that cracking down on Islamophobic graffiti in the area remains a ‘high on the list of priorities’.
At this week’s meeting of the area's police and fire scrutiny board, Councillor Chris Curley raised concerns over message which had appeared in Port Glasgow in recent months.
Councillor Curley’s comments followed an update which noted that 61 hate crimes were recorded in Inverclyde between April and August - influenced by the introduction of the new Hate Crime and Public Order Act earlier this year.
In early August, the Telegraph reported that offensive messages had been spray painted on to the side of tenement flats on Fyfe Park Terrace.
This followed a wave of unrest in England in the wake of the fatal stabbing of three girls in an incident in Southport on July 29.
At the time, Inverclyde MP Martin McCluskey warned that Islamophobia had ‘absolutely no place’ in the area.
READ MORE: 'No place for racism in Inverclyde': Islamophobic graffiti condemned
Chief Superintendent Gordon McCreadie told councillors that while the public disorder south of the border did not lead to ‘significant incidents’ in Inverclyde, he believes it did contribute to ‘some additional hate crimes in the area’.
Speaking at the meeting, Councillor Curley said: “It does seem to have been a bit of a catalyst for some Islamophobic graffiti in Inverclyde.
“Principally, I’ve noted it around Port Glasgow.
“It does seem to be a small group, if not only one person.
“I think I’ve noticed five or six times that one gable end has actually been painted in Port Glasgow.
“It just seems to be an ongoing problem. It does give a bad taste in the mouth when you do see things like that in our area.”
“Unless you catch them actually in the act at the time, it’s very difficult to detect them.
“We do have plans in place for it. It is certainly high on my list of priorities.”
The meeting heard that police have also been in consultation with the local authority this week the identify ways of tackling the issue.
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