A decrease in racist crime in Hammersmith and Fulham for the third year in a row has been welcomed by refugee group HAFAD.

Metropolitan Police figures released last month show that there were 225 reported racially-motivated crimes in the borough in 2008, a fall of nearly five per cent compared with the previous year's total of 236.

Hammersmith and Fulham Refugee Forum's Emad El-Hamadani said: "We are obviously pleased that racist crime figures continue to show a reduction and pay tribute to the police and the local authority for the work they are doing to make the borough a safer place."

The figures compare very favourably with other west London boroughs.

In Hounslow racist crimes rose by nearly six per cent to total 331, in Ealing they went up by nine per cent to total 364, while in Brent they increased by nearly 15 per cent to total 279.

In London as a whole, racist crime increased by 0.3 per cent.

"It is important for anyone who has been the victim of racist crime to report it to the police as it is only in this way that we can get a valid picture of the situation locally," said Mr El-Hamadani.