West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “My thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this awful incident in London overnight.
“The timing of the attack, during Ramadan, only makes it more evil. I visited two of our local mosques in Telford just on Friday and understand the importance of this time of year for our Muslim communities.
“Once again our resolve is being tested by terrorists, but we will not be divided. Our shared values of tolerance, peace and unity will continue to be the things that bring our communities together.
“Having spoken with chief officers this morning I am reassured that West Mercia Police will maintain a consistent, visible presence, particularly around our local mosques, to provide reassurance to worshippers.
However it manifests itself, hate crime has no place in our communities and will not be tolerated.”
Assistant Chief Constable for West Mercia Police, Martin Evans, said: “As information regarding the appalling attack in Finsbury Park in London is shared we understand that our communities, especially those observing Ramadan, will be upset, alarmed and anxious.
“Whilst the motivation behind the attack has not yet been confirmed, all the victims were from the Muslim community and we want to reassure the public that we have patrol plans in place that ensure a visible uniformed presence at Mosques.
“News of last night’s dreadful incident comes on a day when West Mercia Police has renewed its commitment to tackling hate crime of all types with the launch of a new hate crime strategy.
“The strategy makes specific mention of Islamophobic hate crime for the first time with a direct reference to the Tell MAMA campaign that aims to address and monitor offences against Muslims.
“We will be engaging with Muslim communities across the areas we serve to provide reassurance in light of last night’s attack and answer are questions they may have about how we tackle crimes against specific communities across our force area.
“The thoughts of all of us at West Mercia Police are with those affected by this crime, their family, friends and their communities.”
Issued: Monday 19th June 2017
