Ladies of the Milan Mahila Satsang group and Metropolitan Police Hindu Association (MPHA), celebrated Raksha Bandhan, on Friday 28 July 2017, at Katherine Road Community centre,Forest Gate, by inviting Newham Superintendent, Waheed Khan, to traditionally receive a Rakhi and a shawl to honour him in recognition of the courageous service provided by the Metropolitan Police to the London communities, which was especially highlighted, globally, during the recent terror attacks.
Superintendent Khan personally delivered a safety talk in Hindi addressing concerns, including the recent East London acid attacks, advising that dousing the affected area with copious amounts of water in the vast majority of instances is the best action to take. Police response units are carrying a large amount of water in their vehicles in east London. He went on to advise that valuable gold jewellery should be stored, ideally, in a safe which is bolted to a wall or floor. He encouraged all to get to know their local policing teams and share concerns with them and answered questions raised by the group in Hindi.
Chairperson of the Milan Mahila Group Mrs Minaxiben Patel stated this is the first time since moving to the UK, 51 years ago, that she has discussed crime prevention with the police. Being able to have the conversation in Hindi helped her to understand the importance of working with the police and local council by sharing information to reduce crime and anti social behaviour. She felt encouraged to learn that she can discuss concerns and report crime in Indic languages with the police at sites other than the police station where queues and waiting times can often be lengthy and especially difficult to manage for the elderly.
Varsha Mistry, Deputy Chairperson of the MPHA, who arranged the police visit stated, it is important to connect all our diverse communities with the police and raise awareness of how to protect themselves and their property and also work with the Metropolitan police Service to make London the safest global city.
The Metropolitan Police Service have officers and staff who speak a wide range of languages enabling engagement with our diverse communities and building better relations. Superintendent Khan's humble yet professional demeanour and excellent command of Hindi helped to build a valuable bridge between communities.
