A DRAMATIC spray-painted picture is helping to break down barriers between young Muslims and Police Officers in Crewe.

The picture is the work of a team of the youngsters, and represents various facets of their life. They decided on the design after hours of discussion about various issues including race relations, sexual discrimination, differences between generations, and religious intolerance.

The project was the idea of Sergeant Brian Hughes, the Diversity and Equality Officer with Cheshire Police.

He said: "We had been trying to think of ways of engaging with young Muslim people and I tried to think of something which would interest them.

"I discovered Islamic art has a real history and it grew from there.

"Searching websites I found one set up by Mohammed Ali, an Islamic artist from Birmingham who works all over the world. I met him and he offered to come and supervise an art project.

"The young people have really had a great time, but they've worked very hard.

"They debated various aspects of their life in great detail and then put down designs which combined those ideas with some traditional Muslim art."

Cheshire Police Authority, together with the borough council provided funding for the art project.

Mohammed Ali said: "Although it uses spray paint it is exactly the opposite of graffiti.

"It is very positive and there are a lot of multicultural features in the painting.

"There is a mosque and a church, the local cinema and of course, because it's Crewe, the railway."

The finished painting will go on show at Focus stores, alongside a video, which Manchester Metropolitan University have made of it being designed and created.

One of the young people, Anisha Sultana said: "This has been really good. There are difficulties living in Crewe because there are so few of us.

"That means people don't always understand us, but when they get to know us and we get to know them, things are OK."

Sgt Hughes added: "We have built a great deal of trust here and we will make sure it continues.

"Hopefully, it is strengthening links between the young Muslims and not just the Police, but the authorities in general."