Britain's MI5 domestic intelligence agency is pressing police officers on the beat to provide data on known or suspected Islamic extremists.

Sources told The Times of London officers in cities with large Pakistani communities such as London, Birmingham and Leeds have been asked to report sightings of suspects along with who they meet and where as part of the "Rich Picture" project.

Since the July 7, 2005, suicide transit bombings in London, MI5 has stepped up its collection of data on Muslim radicals, the report said.

"This is a new approach and we hope that police officers will understand that the job of countering terrorism and extremism is not just for MI5 and the police special branch but can be carried out by traditional police methods," a source said.

An agency spokesman said there was no profiling based on religion and that clerics and other Muslim leaders were being encouraged to cooperate and to help stamp out extremism. [Link]