PTI
London
The Metropolitan Police, on Wednesday, launched a dedicated Community Protection Team made up of an initial tranche of 100 extra officers to tackle rising antisemitic hate crimes in London.
The new team brings together neighbourhood policing, specialist protection and counter-terrorism capabilities to provide a “more visible, intelligence-led and coordinated” presence focused on protecting Jewish communities across London.
It follows a spate of anti-Jewish crimes in the UK capital, including last week’s terrorist attack in Golders Green that left two men with serious stab injuries.
“The creation of a new Community Protection Team of around 100 officers is an important step in strengthening our response to the sustained threats Jewish communities are facing,” said Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.
“It brings together experienced local officers who know their communities, supported by specialist capabilities, to provide more visible, consistent and intelligence-led protection.
“A settled, long-term model built around local teams will be far more effective than repeated emergency responses, reducing risk and delivering lasting reassurance,” he said.
The force said it is already deploying an additional 1,000 officer shifts per week, relying on overtime and the short-term redeployment of officers from across London.
In its initial phase, the new Community Protection Team will be primarily focused on protecting the Jewish community due to the increased threats, but over time, it is intended to provide a blueprint for how policing responds when tensions rise so that all communities can be “supported and protected” when they face spikes in hate crime or targeted hostility.
The UK’s police chief welcomed the government’s 18 million pounds funding, which has gone towards thousands of additional officer shifts at a time of “exceptional pressure”.
But, he stressed, the problem requires long-term investment to sustain the policing response to the “growing threat” of antisemitism.
“We are working with (the) government and the Mayor (Sadiq Khan) to ensure the approach we are building can be sustained over time, not just for Jewish communities, but as a model that can support other communities across London when facing elevated risk,” added Mark Rowley.
The Met Police announcement follows Tuesday’s Downing Street summit chaired by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling on all sections of British society to fight back against the impact of the conflict in West Asia spilling over in the form of attacks targeting particular communities in the country.
“The appalling attack in Golders Green was just the latest in a series of antisemitic acts of violence that have targeted Jewish people, synagogues, homes and charities, creating ripples of fear in our Jewish communities,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
“Working with the police and others, I am determined to bear down on antisemitism and ensure Jewish Londoners feel safe and are safe in our city. Alongside the police action we need a relentless approach to tackling all hate crime in London and we all have a role to play in calling out hate in all its forms to build a safer London for everyone,” he said.
The Mayor, in charge of the UK capital’s policing, said the new Met Police team will combine neighbourhood policing officers who know local communities best and dedicated specialist protection teams “working around the clock”.
“The Met Commissioner and I have set out a detailed proposal to the government for a new, long-term approach,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Met Police said it was investigating another suspected arson attack at a synagogue Wednesday morning after a “number of arrests” were made over the weekend in connection with racially and religiously aggravated offences.
These included the arrest of a 57-year-old man on Friday on suspicion of causing fear or provocation of violence following reports that he threatened a Jewish man while using racially offensive language.
On Saturday, a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of aggravated criminal damage after rocks were thrown at an ambulance belonging to the Jewish community while it was transporting a patient in Edgware, north London.
Further arrests were also made on the same day for racially aggravated harassment, criminal damage and public order offences in Brent, north London, and Croydon, south London. All have been released on bail pending further investigation.
“These arrests form part of an intensive and sustained response. In the past four weeks alone, the Met has arrested around 50 people for antisemitic hate crimes, with eight individuals charged. This is in addition to 28 arrests linked to arsons and other serious offences investigated alongside Counter Terrorism Policing. In total, more than 80 arrests have now been made,” the Met Police said.
