ISLAMOPHOBIA and extremism were amongst the topics discussed during a Question Time-style event held in Blackburn.

The town's MP Kate Hollern and police and crime commissioner Clive Grunshaw were special guests at the event hosted by Blackburn Muslim Engagement and Development.

MORE TOP STORIES:

During the 90-minute debate, held in Blackburn Library, Mr Grunshaw and Mrs Hollern both criticised Prevent, the government's counter-terrorism strategy, and said it was becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy for radicalisation.

Mrs Hollern said: "As MP I have had a number of cases this year where parents have come totally distraught about Prevent.

"One parent came to me because her son's school had flagged him up as being in danger of radicalisation because he had come back from a trip to Pakistan with a gun keyring and wrote a story about his holiday and said how he liked guns, had seen the army on patrol and wanted to be a soldier one day.

"His mum was then quizzed on what video games he played, what happened in Pakistan and everything else.

"I wrote to the school and asked them where their evidence was.

"The school denied they thought the child had been radicalised but said the governments had placed a duty on them to investigate. That's unfair on schools."

Mr Grunshaw and Mrs Hollern backed shadow home secretary Andy Burnham's announcement that the Labour Party is launching a cross-party committee to look at Britain's relationship with the Muslim community.

Amongst the topics to be discussed by the committee will Prevent, which falls under the Contest counter-terrorism strategy.

Other issues discussed during Friday's event was the perceived under-reporting of Islamophobia.

Mr Grunshaw said that since Lancashire Police started recording Islamophobia as a separate hate crime in 2014 the highest monthly figure recorded for the entire county was 13.

He said: "The figures are far too low for what we would like to see.

"It's one of the rare situations where we would like to see an increase in recording of Islamophobia because then it will recognise the situation that exists within communities.

"If we're not getting reports on Islamophobia that means we haven't got the trust of the community and they won't trust us in reporting domestic abuse, child sexual exploitation and other crimes."

Mr Grunshaw said that since the independent Islamophobia helpline, which is based at Bangor Street Community Centre in Blackburn, was set up earlier this year it had received ten allegations from victims.

He also said the police was working to recruit more officers from black and minority ethnic backgrounds and said the force had made strides in improving its use of stop and search.