The Metropolitan Police has announced the deployment of a new 100-officer Community Protection Team dedicated to safeguarding Jewish communities across London. This initiative comes in response to a surge in antisemitic incidents, including suspected arson attacks and a double stabbing in Golders Green that is being treated as a terrorist act.
The move follows warnings from Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, who had previously stated that an additional 300 officers were necessary to effectively address the issue. Rowley described a growing “pandemic” of antisemitism in the UK.
In its initial phase, the Community Protection Team will focus primarily on protecting the Jewish community, which faces some of the highest levels of hate crime, alongside significant terrorist and hostile state threats. The team will integrate neighbourhood policing, specialist protection, and counter-terrorism capabilities to provide a more visible, intelligence-led, and coordinated presence.
Since late March, there have been multiple arson attacks at Jewish sites in London, as well as the Golders Green stabbing. Counter-terrorism police are also investigating a suspected arson at a former synagogue in Nelson Street, Whitechapel, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday.
A Met Police spokesperson stated: “British Jews now appear on the hate lists of every major extremist movement: extreme right-wing groups, Islamist terrorists, elements of the extreme left, and hostile state actors. It is a deeply concerning convergence, and Jewish communities are living with the consequences of that risk daily.”
The spokesperson added that in the past four weeks alone, the Met has arrested approximately 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 been made.
The Home Office has supported the Met’s action with £18 million, with an additional £4 million available through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant to support community-led and charity work. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “We will do everything in our power to rid society of the evil of antisemitism.”
Meanwhile, England and Wales’s chief prosecutor has issued new guidance to fast-track hate crime prosecutions. Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson expressed hope to “put a line in the sand” and stop an “uptick” in antisemitic behaviour. He noted a pattern of copycat antisemitism and instructed prosecutors that “any supporting evidence can be obtained subsequently” once the evidential threshold for a charge is met.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosted a roundtable with senior figures from the police, arts, higher education, trade unions, and businesses. He stated that universities will be expected to “demonstrate action” to tackle antisemitism among students as part of a zero-tolerance approach on campuses. The Arts Council will also be expected to withdraw funding from anyone who promotes antisemitism.
Addressing potential foreign involvement, Sir Keir said the Government is “fast-tracking legislation to tackle these malign threats.” He added: “One of the lines of inquiry is whether a foreign state has been behind some of these incidents. We are investigating all possibilities, and we are clear that these actions will have consequences if that proves to be the case. Our message to Iran or any other country that might seek to foment violence, hatred, or division in society is that it will not be tolerated.”
