In the famously multicultural British capital, Dal Babu is an exception: the 42-year-old ethnic Indian, a superintendent in the east end district of Bethnal Green, is the only Muslim of his rank in the Metropolitan Police force.

"I joined the Met in 1983. At that time, there was less than one percent officers from ethnic minority. We are at seven percent now, the change has been huge," he told AFP.

He points out that Muslim staff in the Bethnal Green district, which has substantial Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities, have facilities for prayers, can eat hallal food and do not have to work Fridays.

"It's important for the Muslim community to have a Muslim senior officer, they see me go to the prayer on Friday, it gives them confidence," he says.

But while welcoming the progress he also cautions that it must be seen in perspective, pointing out that Bethnal Green police station has only nine Muslim officers among its 1,200 staff.

"There is still much to do," he said.

The under-representation is widespread: out of the 31,000 employees of the Met, only 900 are Muslim.

Meanwhile, Britain's interior ministry is to meet with Muslim community leaders to foster good relations after the London terror bombings, a Home Office spokeswoman said yesterday.

The spokeswoman said eight meetings will take place before parliament returns in October, ending with "concrete proposals" on key issues from Home Secretary Charles Clarke.

"The government is introducing a series of meetings during the summer to discuss the shared challenges facing the Muslim community and the government following recent events," the spokeswoman said.

London has been hit by two sets of bomb attacks blamed on Islamic militants, including one that left 56 people dead on July 7.