Event tackles Somalis' isolation

Police asked the community what their fears were

Cardiff's Somali community have held a discussion day with police to tackle the "isolation" felt by some members.

Organised by the Somali Integration Society, South Wales Police answered questions at the safety day.

South Wales Fire Service and Cardiff Council also took part in the community safety day held at Cardiff City Hall.

As well as combating the isolation issue, the day was for Somalis to tell police what issues they would like tackled, the society said.

Cardiff's Somali community is one of the oldest ethnic groups in the city.

Their ancestors were originally drawn as seafarers at the end of the 19th Century - shortly after the opening of the Suez Canal - to work in the city's docks.

Ibrahim Harbi said there is a feeling of isolation in the community

The Somali community in Cardiff was swelled further in the 1980s by people who arrived fleeing civil war.

But Ibrahim Harbi from the Somali Integration Society said many people in the community still felt on their own.

A series of events to help Somalis integrate with other communities has been held in the city over the last year.

"The safety day was to let people tell the police what issues they want to see being tackled and maybe suggest ways of going about it," explained Mr Harbi.

"It is to find out what concerns the people have and find ways of dealing with it.

'Breaking down barriers'

Supt Pat Tucker from South Wales Police was among those taking questions from the audience at the event.

"Cardiff has a multicultural past and it remains a multicultural city," he said.

"It's a changing city and with those changes that brings issues about what we need to do to get services to the diverse communities.

He added that the Somali community was "a really established community" and officers wanted to find out how they could support them.

"Hate crime is a problem but it is very low in Cardiff but there are other problems which we are trying to address.

"It's about us showing this community that we are their police as much as we are anyone's.

"There are many communities that feel distance with the police and we want to break down those barriers.

"There has been improvements, especially over the last five years but there is still so much to be down and events like these can only help," said Supt Tucker.