TWO people were arrested in the borough as part of a crackdown on hate crime yesterday (Tuesday May 18).

The Metropolitan Police Service confirmed that the arrests in Redbridge were made as part of a London-wide operation against racially-motivated and other types of hate crime.

Officers conducted raids on two addresses in the borough, and arrested one suspect for two counts of racially-motivated criminal damage, while another was arrested for one count of racial harassment.

The operation – codenamed Athena – came a day after the International Day Against Homophobia, and is aimed at tackling hate crime in all its guises, including domestic, homophobic, transphobic, race and faith-related offences and offences against disabled people.

The raids took place across the capital from midnight in the early hours of Tuesday morning and resulted in 77 arrests.

So far the police have not yet released more details of the arrests due to the ongoing nature of their investigation.

Detective Superintendent Darren Williams, the head of the Met's Hate Crime Unit, said: "The Met Police is resolute in its commitment to tackle hate crime in all its forms. This includes racist, homophobic and disability hate crime.

"Today's operations represent part of the proactive approach the MPS take to bring those responsible to justice. Support to victims is the most important factor in Hate Crime and we encourage the use of third party reporting and are continually working with partners to develop stronger links with communities most at risk.

"We know that all hate crime is under reported and this remains a challenge for us. We will continue to work hard to gain the trust and confidence of all communities so that victims feel that they can come forward and tell police.

"My message to all victims is that if you feel you can't tell the police - tell someone."