The need to police terrorism in Tayside while maintaining good community relations will be tackled at a special training seminar organised by Dundee’s Al-Maktoum Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies today. (Thursday, November 1)
It will be attended by around fifteen key senior personnel from Tayside Police including Chief Constable John Vine and his deputy, Kevin Mathieson, plus divisional commanders and heads of intelligence.
The one-day seminar “Muslims within Multicultural Scotland” aims to develop further awareness and understanding of Muslims and Islam in order to enhance the service provided by Tayside Police to Muslims and the wider communities of Tayside.
The Al-Maktoum Institute, internationally recognised as a centre of excellence to promote multiculturalism and cultural engagement to help combat world extremism, is hosting the event.
It is hoped that the senior officers attending will gain:
• an opportunity to discuss the balance between the need to police terrorism and to maintain good community relations
• a greater level of understanding of the current national and international situation within a local context
• an increased awareness of the threat to all communities from extremism and radicalisation
The Acting Principal of Al-Maktoum Institute, Professor Malory Nye said the seminar was “significant” in that it was aimed at helping the police to proceed effectively yet sensitively.
“A key role of the Institute is to continue to meet the needs of Scotland by building multicultural bridges,” said Professor Nye, an expert in multiculturalism. “We firmly believe that education is the way to defeat extremism and fundamentalism through a greater understanding of different religions and cultures in a multicultural context. As a result, we are delighted to be given this opportunity to work with senior police officers tasked with these duties. It’s possible, depending on the discussions on the day, that additional topics or issues may emerge that might need more in-depth discussion or training. We are very happy to run this seminar on behalf of Tayside Police and, obviously, if other Scottish forces are interested in such a seminar then we would welcome the opportunity to discuss this with them.”
Chief Constable of Tayside Police, John Vine said: “The population of Tayside includes a wide mixture of cultures and communities many of whom are attracted by the diverse nature of the employment and education available within the region. There are over 100 communities represented within our Force area. Having an understanding of the different cultures living within the communities of Tayside helps us to police those communities more effectively.”
