Police have confirmed that the vandalism of 85 graves at Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery is now being treated as a religiously motivated Islamophobic hate crime.
The incident, which occurred between 1pm on Friday 11 April and 5pm on Saturday 12 April, involved widespread damage to grave plaques in an area of the cemetery reserved for Muslim burials. Many of the graves targeted were those of babies and young children.
A spokesperson from Three Rivers Police said, “On Sunday 13 April, we were informed of widespread damage to 85 grave plaques in Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery, all of which are in an area reserved for Muslim burials. Many of the graves affected are the resting places of babies and young children.”
Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson, head of Hertfordshire’s Local Policing Command, said, “We are continuing to investigate every line of enquiry into this terrible crime, which we are now treating as an Islamophobic act.
“During the initial stages of our investigation we explored several hypotheses as to how the damage may have occurred and for this reason, we had to be mindful of the words used to describe the incident in the public domain.
“However, now our inquiry has progressed we are confident that sadly, this was a religiously motivated act. We would like to reassure those affected, and the wider Muslim community, that we are continuing to treat this crime extremely seriously.”
The investigation team is working closely with Brent Council, which owns the cemetery site off Oxhey Lane, to identify the families affected.
Police have also been working with Sergeant Irfan Ishaq, Chair of the Hertfordshire Association of Muslim Police (HAMP), to support communication with the wider Muslim community.
Sergeant Ishaq said: “Since the news of this religiously motivated act reached our Muslim communities, I have been listening to and recording their feedback and concerns. We completely understand their frustration at the delay in confirming it as a hate crime and stand with them in their condemnation of this dreadful incident.
“I’m sure the public can appreciate that as police, it is important for us to approach every incident reported to us with an open mind to ensure an unbiased and fair investigation.
“Our focus remains identifying the families of those whose graves have been affected so we can provide support and advice, and our partners at Brent Council are assisting us with this. Given the number of graves involved, and the fact that many of the families affected may no longer live locally, we anticipate that this will take some time as we continue to be sensitive and respectful in our work.
“We recognise that news of this crime will not only impact the Muslim community, but those from all walks of life. There will continue to be a police presence in and around the cemetery to reassure our community and provide advice where needed. In addition, a further community leaders meeting is being held tomorrow (Wednesday 16 April) to keep our Muslim community informed.”
Police are continuing to appeal for information. Anyone who saw suspicious activity in or around the cemetery between the times of the incident, or who has information, is urged to contact Detective Sergeant Anna Cornish at anna.cornish@herts.police.uk quoting ‘Op Lunate’.
Information can also be reported online at https://orlo.uk/1iO6G, through the online web chat at https://orlo.uk/GTSX0, or by calling 101.
You can also report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or at https://crimestoppers-uk.org.
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