Communities have been thanked at a special ceremony for their work ensuring the recent English Defence League protest did not impact on local people.
People from communities across Luton were invited by Bedfordshire Police to the event at the Chiltern Hotel on Wednesday.
Among those invited were staff from Luton Borough Council, The Cultural Services Trust, Independent Advisory Group, Bury Park Business Community, The Stop Search Scrutiny Panel, The Community Mediators and a diverse range of community leaders from all faiths and backgrounds.
They were all presented with certificates thanking them for their assistance with community relations for Operation Akari – the EDL protest and counter demonstration which took place in Luton on Saturday, November 22.
Chief Inspector Greg Horsford, who led the operation, said: “We wanted to host this evening to thank all of those in the community who worked closely with us during the build up to the event and on the day itself.
“It was an excellent example of the strong relationships we have built up with the diverse communities in the town and we wanted to formally thank those involved.
“While we could only invite a limited number of selected people to the event there are many, many more who played a crucial role and I would like to extend our thanks to them.”