London mayor Boris Johnson has denied that a planned hotline for reporting hate crime in the capital will have a detrimental impact on existing services.
Opposition was voiced to the proposal earlier this week after internal emails from the mayor’s office revealed a new phone number would be launched for Jewish, Muslim and LGBT Londoners to report abuse.
The former Community Security Trust chief executive Richard Benson, who is now co-chair of the Tell Mama group which records Islamophobia, told the Guardian that the mayor’s hotline could “dilute” work already carried out by anti-racism organisations.
Read: Paris attack fuelled increase in reporting of hate crimes in UK, says CST
Mr Benson said: “It is quite clear that communities feel more comfortable when they are victims of a hate crime to report the issue to somebody within that community who understands them.
“That’s why the CST and Tell Mama have both been successful in providing a level of support to their communities, but to have a one-stop shop that covers every single community will be confusing and, secondly, will dilute the existing successful work currently carried out by those groups.”
But a spokeswoman for the mayor said hate crime was under-reported in the capital and that Mr Johnson was co-operating with existing groups to make it easier for victims to come forward.
“The Mayor is working closely with London’s diverse communities to help tackle hate crime across the capital,” she said.
"Plans for a new telephone reporting service are being developed in close consultation with the groups who are already doing great work in their own communities.
"It is being designed to extend provision, whilst complementing existing local services and the mayor will continue to support these alongside the new service.”
Mr Johnson’s office said there was strong support for his hate crime reduction strategy and that the commissioning process for the line would begin in the coming months.
CST said it would not comment on Mr Johnson’s plans.
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