A POLICEMAN who dealt with the aftermath of the July 7 bombings has become the most senior ethnic minority officer within the Lothian and Borders force.
Superintendent Ramzan Mohayuddin will take charge at the city's Leith station next week after transferring from West Yorkshire Police.
The 44-year-old was the man charged with reassuring his home town of Dewsbury after it emerged that one of the
four suicide bombers lived locally.
Supt Mohayuddin also worked to root out Muslim fundamentalists from the area who may have posed a similar threat.
A Muslim himself, he hopes to bring the skills developed during a 17-year career to boost confidence in the police among ethnic minorities and reduce hate crimes.
His transfer comes after racial attacks in the Lothians soared by a record 40 per cent over the last year, with more than two cases a day reported to the police.
Supt Mohayyudin plans to work closely with the city's mosques, faith centres and churches in a bid to increase unity, as well as encouraging more youngsters from ethnic backgrounds to join the police.
He said: "I grew up in the Saville Town area of Dewsbury, which had many race problems. It was an area with a high Muslim population with very little integration with the rest of the local community."
Mohammed Sadique Khan, 30, from Dewsbury, was one of the bombers who left 52 people dead and 700 injured in the terrorist outrage in London last year.
"After the bombings, I worked there in community reassurance, visiting mosques and faith centres as well as churches and other community groups," added Supt Mohayyudin. "We tried to spread a message of unity.
"I also worked to gather intelligence on fundamentalism and other people who may be involved with terrorism."
The London bombings were singled out as a factor behind heightened racial tension in Edinburgh, with the number of incidents doubling in the wake of the attacks.
Supt Muhayuddin, who was born in Pakistan and came to the UK when he was eight years old, wants to build greater confidence among minority groups to report hate crimes.
He added: "We have to get the message across that people can come forward . I'm a Muslim and speak Punjabi but I also speak Urdu, which is the Pakistani national language, and I read Arabic so I can read the Koran.
"I believe I bring an ability to understand how communities need to mix from my culture and the way I was brought up.
"My aim in Leith is to improve the quality of life for the people who stay there and engage with the community."
Supt Mohayuddin transferred from West Yorkshire Police where he was serving as a chief inspector. Since joining the police at 27, he has worked as a detective sergeant in CID and at the Home Office's Police Standards Unit to improve police performance.
The father-of-three, who has a law degree from the University of Leeds, will direct police resources from the Leith station after taking charge next week.
He also hopes his appointment will encourage more youngsters from ethnic minorities in the city to choose the police as a career.
He said: "If you go to London you'll see police officers of every nationality because the force reflects society. Edinburgh has a multi-racial mix so we want to encourage parents from ethnic groups to see the police as a professional career.
"I always wanted to join the police but I was working in the family business. Finally I decided it was time to break away and pursue the police as a career."
Shami Khan, the Capital's only Asian councillor, said: "We welcome the superintendent's appointment and we will offer him all the support we are able to give."
The full article contains 663 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
