Barnet, home to Britain's biggest Jewish population, has reported a significant drop in racist and religious hate crime and an increase in catching the perpetrators.

There were 284 racist offences during the 2009/10 year, which ended in March, compared to 428 in the previous 12 months.

Up from 35 per cent to 50 per cent was the rate of clear-up - where police identify the culprits and a punishment is applied ranging from a caution to a prison sentence.

Said Superintendent Neil Seabridge, the man in charge of Barnet's community and partnership policing: "We've worked hard with our partners within the Jewish community to both understand the extent of the issue and to put in measures jointly to manage it. While we are really pleased to see this outcome, we are not complacent. I would like to reinforce the message that anyone who is a victim of a
racist or religious hate crime must report it to us so we can deal with it appropriately."

Community Security Trust communications director Mark Gardner stressed that the figures did not just cover antisemitic incidents. However, "the fall relative to 2009 is most likely due to the very high levels of antisemitism in January and February of that year, owing to the Gaza conflict.

"We welcome both the steep decline and the increased detection rate and hope that this will help to reduce the fear of crime in the Jewish community."