For four weeks running, London’s Jewish communities have been under sustained attack. Threats, arson, intimidation and violence. They are happening repeatedly, in our neighbourhoods. Culminating in the attempted murder of two British Jews.
It is utterly unacceptable that Jewish communities in London should live in fear. Whether walking to synagogue, attending school, or simply going about daily life, no one should feel unsafe because of their faith or identity. As Commissioner, I want to say this clearly and directly: we see you, we hear you, and we stand with you.
That is why, with the Mayor’s support, I have submitted an urgent proposal to Government for additional funding to protect Jewish communities. We are seeking resources to recruit 300 more officers, including a dedicated group of neighbourhood and firearms officers permanently based in North West London. This is essential if we are to move beyond short‑term surges and provide bespoke lasting protection recognising that you face an intensity of hate crime and other threats many times greater than other communities. It is not sustainable, or most effective, to continue relying on officer overtime or redeploying resources from across London. The threat level is increasing, and we need a policing model capable of meeting that challenge over the long term – not short‑term fixes.
As soon as that funding is confirmed, we can create permanent posts and build long‑term relationships with communities – a dedicated capability, like the one already in place in the West End, focused on prevention and protection as well as enforcement.
In the meantime, we are already acting. The Metropolitan Police has increased weekly officer shifts in North West London by an additional 1000, increasing visible patrols where Jewish communities are most exposed. This includes armed response vehicles, counter‑terrorism patrols trained to identify hostile reconnaissance, and deployments driven directly by intelligence and information from the community itself. It is this effect we want to embed long term.
Alongside this, the Met has responded at pace and with determination to recent incidents. In the past four weeks alone, we have made 42 arrests in relation to antisemitic hate crimes, with eight individuals already charged. This is in addition to the 28 arrests made over the last month in connection with the arsons and other offences. These results reflect focused investigative work and a clear commitment to taking swift action. We are now doubling down on this approach – intensifying enforcement, strengthening intelligence‑led policing, and maintaining relentless pressure on those responsible. We will not stop, and we will not tolerate hate or violence on London’s streets.
That speed matters. It shows what policing can do when hatred turns into violence.
This week, I attended a criminal justice round table hosted by the Prime Minister, focused on how the wider criminal justice system can help speed up the prosecution of offenders responsible for hate crime. Policing is only the first step. Victims and communities need to see swift progress from arrest through charge, court and sentencing. Delay does real damage to confidence and can deepen the harm already caused. I was clear that where evidence exists, there must be faster, firmer outcomes for those who target people because of who they are. Justice must be seen to be done – and done quickly.
It also matters to say this clearly. The two officers who arrested the suspect after the knife attack in Golders Green showed exceptional courage. They were on the scene within minutes because of the increased patrols and ran towards danger to protect the public and have since been left traumatised by what they encountered. They deserve our full support, not criticism. I also want to commend the brave individuals from the Shomrim who assisted officers at the scene and put themselves in harm’s way to keep others safe and the continued work of the Community Security Trust.
In recent weeks, I have met representatives from across the Jewish community, including the CST, Shomrim, the Board of Deputies, the London Jewish Forum and the Chief Rabbi. What I have heard is stark. A community reconsidering how they live their lives – how they dress, where they go, how visible they feel able to be. That is an appalling state of affairs in modern Britain.
When you combine rising hate crime, terrorism and hostile state activity – and layer on the rapid spread of ideology online – the result is deeply dangerous. Jewish communities are experiencing that combined threat every day.
British Jews now appear on the hate list of every major extremist movement: extreme right, Islamist terrorism, extreme left, and hostile states. It is a grim convergence, and Jewish communities sit at its centre.
Policing can deal with the symptoms: hate crime, arson, intimidation and terror plots. We will continue to arrest offenders, bring charges and disrupt threats. But policing cannot cure the disease.
What troubles me most is that this is not just about a small number of racist individuals. Antisemitism is standing on something deeper and more embedded in society – and too often and for far too long it is not being challenged. There is too much licencing of it in public debate.
That is why we need a serious national conversation about the appalling level of hostility directed at Jewish communities. Debate about international affairs must never be allowed to slide into hostility towards Jews in Britain. When antisemitism is excused, minimised or met with silence, the risks grow.
I want to thank officers and staff across the Met for the flexibility, sensitivity and compassion they continue to show. The attacks of recent weeks, and the longer‑term rise in antisemitic hate crime, are frightening for those affected. Visible policing, enforcement, engagement and reassurance are making a real difference.
London is a wonderful, diverse and resilient city, and we have also seen solidarity in response to recent attacks. That matters. But solidarity must be matched with action.
The Met will continue to act decisively, but unless antisemitism is confronted consistently by wider society – we will remain stuck reacting to harm rather than preventing it.
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