Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to tackle anti-Sikh hate crimes and protect the Sikh community from targeted hate crime.

The government is committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practise their religion. We will not tolerate anti-Sikh hatred in any form and will ensure hate crimes are prosecuted with the full force of the law.

We are providing record protective security funding for faith communities to bolster security at places of worship, faith schools and community centres through the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme. This comes alongside the Faith Security Training Scheme, ensuring all faith leaders and volunteers, including within Sikh communities, are strengthening their security awareness and preparedness to respond to concerns.

We also provide funding to support True Vision, an online hate crime reporting portal that lets victims report incidents safely without visiting a police station. We welcome its work with the Sikh Guard and Rakka initiatives to encourage reporting in Sikh communities and help address concerns about the lack of a bespoke reporting and support service for Sikhs experiencing hate crime.