Tension rose in the Savile Town in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, when a young lad was arrested in the wake of the 7/7 attacks in the British capital London.

“We faced a major problem here after the 7/7 bombings,” Muslim officer Mohamed Aziz writes in the Times on Tuesday, July 8.

“I had to be a bridge and communicate between the police and the community.”

Aziz, the community police officer in Savile Town, says the town turned tense following reports that one of the bombers from the 7/7 attacks had attended a mosque in Savile Town.

“A young lad from the area was arrested,” recalls Aziz.

“The counter-terrorism unit cordoned off streets around Savile Town - people had restricted access to the streets and this went on for about a week. There were a lot of irate people.

“The international media descended on Savile Town and were intruding in people’s lives, so it was a very nervous time.”

Then, the Muslim officer stepped in to defuse tension and ease concerns of the Muslim community in the area.

“I spoke to the imams and committees of the mosques, who then put messages out on their broadcasts.

“Luckily for us, nothing got out of hand and the police controlled it pretty well with the help of the community.”

In appreciation of his role, Aziz was awarded the Community Police Officer of the Year prize in 2007 for his work on easing tensions in Savile Town.

Muslim Cop

Aziz says being Muslim and Asian background has given him an advantage in dealing with crises facing the Muslim community in Savile Town.

“We’ve also had to deal with a major incident where a teaching assistant at a school in Savile Town refused to remove her veil,” he recalls.

“I had to mediate between the media, who were camping outside, the school and the parents.”

The Muslim officer says he is now more of an outreach worker than an officer.

“I work with schools, colleges and local community centers, trying to build confidence and trust, looking into why these things happen with some of these young guys, and trying to prevent it.”

Britain is home to a sizable multi-ethnic Muslim minority of nearly 2 million.

The vast majority of British Muslims have Pakistani and Bengali backgrounds.

Since the 7/7 attacks, which killed 56 commuters including 4 Muslim bombers, British Muslims have complained of a growing Islamophobic climate in the European country.

A Financial Times opinion poll has showed recently that Britain is the most suspicious nation about Muslims.

For Aziz, being a British Muslim policeman is a double-edged sword.

“I know how they feel when they say it’s our culture and our religion that people are attacking,” he explains.

“But from my perspective, I have to be professional about it all as well.”

Aziz gives credit to his religions and multicultural background for being the driving force behind his success.

“I feel that I have a good understanding of the culture and the religion in the community.

“That’s been more helpful than anything else.”