Reports presented at a recent Equalities Board meeting in Enfield revealed a concerning increase in faith-based hate crime, despite an overall decrease in hate crime offences in the borough.
In the twelve months leading up to November 2025, Enfield recorded 580 hate crime offences, an 11% decrease compared to the 652 offences recorded during the same period the previous year, according to the Equalities Board report on Hate Crime. However, while most hate crime strands saw reductions, faith-related and disability hate crime increased. Islamophobic and Antisemitic offences rose, partly attributed to heightened tensions across the country due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that began in 2023.
The report noted that racist and religious hate crime offences in Enfield reduced by 9.7% in the year ending November 2025.
To combat hate crime, Enfield Council collaborates with community partners through various initiatives. Over the last few years, this has included training events, publicity campaigns and engagement events held in relation to hate crime together with community organisations such as One-to-One working with adults with autism and/or learning disabilities and sessions at Enfield faith establishments covering antisemitism, Islamophobia and hate crime to name a few.
The council has worked to re-establish the Enfield Multi Faith Forum to improve understanding of faith-related hate crime and address tensions. The initial meeting was held on 4 November, hosted by the Mayor of Enfield, with over 70 participants committing to support the forum and establish a Community Resilience Group. The Community Resilience Group will assist the council and partner agencies in responding to community cohesion challenges and terrorist threats. Through the forum, further progress is expected in improving understanding of faith-related hate crime and addressing tensions before they occur. The South Street Crime Board (SSCB) has also committed to improving work with schools, community groups, faith institutions and other partner agencies to improve understanding of hate crime, enable more crimes to be reported and ensure there is training available to professionals, front line staff and service users. Using the newly established Community Resilience Group, the council plans to work with faith institutions on tackling hate crime that affect faith communities.
