Police should not use racial profiling in their operations to prevent a repeat of this month’s terror attacks in London, Hazel Blears, the Home Office minister, said today.

Ms Blears said that police use of stop-and-search powers should be based on intelligence, not simply on the targeting of particular racial groups.

She was speaking after Ian Johnston, Chief Constable of the British Transport Police, suggested that his officers would be concentrating on particular racial groups, and would not "waste time searching old white ladies".

Ms Blears is today visiting Oldham and Rochdale in the first of a series of meetings with Muslim community leaders to discuss Government initiatives to combat radicalism and promote integration.

She gave warning that the fight against terrorism depended heavily on the willingness of minority communities to co-operate with the police.

Asked if she accepted the use of racial profiling by police, she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: "I have never, ever endorsed that. I don’t think you should be ruling out anybody in terms of how you exercise stop-and-search powers.

"You can equally have white people who could be the subject of intelligence you have got, so I don’t accept it is right simply to target groups. I have said time and time again to police in the guidance I have issued that you exercise this power on the basis of the intelligence available to you and you explain that to communities. That is the way you get their trust and confidence."

Ms Blears added: "Just picking people up on the basis that they are Muslim is never going to get the results that we want. This has to be part of a package of powers. It is not to be used in a discriminatory fashion.

"Tackling terrorism is absolutely dependent on the confidence of these communities to feel that they can come forward, give information and be part of the fight against this threat."

Ms Blears said that she hoped to talk and listen to members of Oldham’s Muslim population to find out what more the Government could do on issues like police support for ethnic minorities, training for imams and giving women a bigger voice in their communities.

She said she hoped the meetings would help encourage Muslims, particularly the young, to get involved in community organisations which bring together different races and religions.

"It’s a difficult thing to do, but I think it is absolutely vital that we try to make sure that people have a sense that they can have a say here," she said. Ms Blears stressed that Oldham - scene of race riots in 2001 - was not being picked out as a particular problem.

There was "fantastic" work being done in the town, and the Oldham event was simply the first in a series of meetings to be held in locations including Burnley, Leicester, Leeds, Birmingham and London.

"What I would like is three or four points coming from each meeting about some things we can do locally, politically, to give young people more of a role," said Ms Blears.

Earlier, a Home Office spokeswoman said that the eight meetings were intended to "discuss the shared challenges facing the Muslim community and the Government following recent events".

Issues which will be addressed include security, engaging with young people and women, and tackling extremism and radicalisation. Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, will then hold follow-up talks with Muslim leaders on September 20 when he will outline "concrete proposals".

Ms Blears wrote to MPs ahead of the meetings to set out issues identified by the recent cross-party talks hosted by Tony Blair and Mr Clarke.

In her letter, Ms Blears said: "Muslim leaders recognise that it is not enough just to condemn the bombings but that they must also act with us to tackle extremism. The Government and leaders of all parties in turn recognised that it is our shared responsibility to work in partnership with the Muslim community to achieve this.

"I am writing to ask you to help lead this work over the summer by working with your communities and feeding back your community’s views to me ahead of follow-up meetings with Muslim community leaders in September."

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