A KENT Messenger Group journalist and a Dover police officer who have both been involved in breaking down barriers between local residents and asylum seekers in the town are among the speakers at a national conference today.

Dover Mercury chief reporter Graham Tutthill and Community Liaison Officer PC Mick Cronin are speaking at a one-day conference at the Ambassador’s Hotel in London entitled Asylum Seekers and Communities: Managing Tensions and Tackling Racial Harassment.

It is being attended by professionals and academics who are involved in, or have an interest in, issues affecting asylum seekers and communities.

Mr Tutthill will be speaking about the way the Dover Mercury has managed to report on asylum issues in a balanced way, and the difficulties journalists face in trying to do this. It is the second national conference on this issue that he has spoken at. He has also addressed chief police officers from all over the country.

PC Cronin will be speaking about his experience in Dover of how the largely successful relationship between asylum seekers and local residents has been managed by Kent Police working with other agencies and support groups.

External inspectors, who concluded it demonstrated a model of good practice that could be adopted elsewhere, have praised the approach by South East Kent Police to matters of race and asylum.

“The invitation to speak at this conference is in recognition of the good work that has been achieved by everyone involved,” said PC Cronin. “The focus of our approach is that of prevention - preventing situations before they become a problem.

“We have worked closely with asylum seekers and the groups that look after their welfare to help them understand the laws and culture of our country, and also the local community - to understand their concerns.”

Other speakers include Peer Grattidge, Deputy Director of the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), Nadeem Ahmad from the Refugee Integration Sub Group, Chief Inspector Zbgniew Smolen, Community Relations with Merseyside Police, and Brian O’Hara, Asylum Seeker Manager from Glasgow.