Met announces new dedicated team of officers to protect British Jews

The Metropolitan Police has announced a new dedicated Community Protection Team of initially 100 extra officers, a day after Keir Starmer convened leaders from across society in Downing Street to call for action on antisemitism.

The new team brings together neighbourhood policing, specialist protection and counter terrorism capabilities, providing a “more visible, intelligence‑led and coordinated presence” focused on protecting Jewish communities across London.

In a statement, the Met said the approach “reflects what we know works best: officers who are locally based, understand their communities, and have strong relationships with residents, schools, faith leaders and volunteers.

“This new team brings together some of the experienced local officers already working in these areas, who will be joined by additional officers as funding allows. It marks the beginning of a new, more sustainable and consistent model of protection built around local knowledge, visibility and partnership, rather than relying solely on repeated short‑term surges.”

The announcement comes as officers investigate Tuesday morning’s suspected arson attack at a former synagogue in east London and made a number of arrests over the weekend in connection with racially and religiously aggravated offences.

These included the arrest of a 57‑year‑old man on Friday, 1 May, on suspicion of causing fear or provocation of violence following reports he threatened a Jewish man while using racially offensive language.

On Saturday, 2 May, 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.

Further arrests were also made on the same day for racially aggravated harassment, criminal damage and public order offences in Brent and Croydon. All have been released on bail pending further investigation.

The Metropolitan Police say the arrests “form part of an intensive and sustained response” and that over the last month, it 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 force “welcomes the government’s announcement last week of £25 million in one‑off funding to support protective policing, including the decision to ringfence £18 million specifically for the Met.”

The “extremely needed” funding will “retrospectively cover the significant costs incurred to date which were necessary to surge protective policing in north west London at a time of unprecedented threats to the community. The Met is already deploying an additional 1,000 officer shifts per week, relying on overtime and the short‑term redeployment of officers from across London.”

London’s police force says it is “grateful” for the support and will “continue to work closely with Government to ensure funding arrangements are sustainable over the longer term. While this one‑off funding underpins the initial standing up of the Community Protection Team and helps stabilise the immediate position, the enduring nature of the threat means continued discussion is needed about the future shape and scale of investment to maintain and build this capability over time. The creation of this team therefore represents a strong foundation and an important step forward.”

In its initial phase, the new team will be primarily focused on protecting the Jewish community, “which faces some of the highest levels of hate crime alongside significant terrorist and hostile state threats. However, it is also intended to provide a blueprint for how policing responds when tensions rise, so that other communities feel equally supported and protected when they face spikes in hate crime or targeted hostility.”

This focus, the statement stresses, does not mean the Metropolitan Police is “deprioritising other communities. Hate crime in all its forms – including ongoing efforts to tackle racism, anti‑Muslim hate crime, homophobia and other forms of hatred in the capital – remains a core policing priority.”

Recognising that 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”, the statement notes “it is a deeply concerning convergence, and Jewish communities are living with the consequences of that risk daily.”

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “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. It brings together experienced local officers who know their communities, supported by specialist capabilities, to provide more visible, consistent and intelligence‑led protection.

“I welcome the Government’s £18 million funding, which has already paid for thousands of additional officer shifts at a time of exceptional pressure. But this funding is short term and requires investment to sustain our policing response to this growing threat.

“We are working with Government and the Mayor 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.

“A settled, long‑term model built around local teams will be far more effective than repeated emergency responses, reducing risk and delivering lasting reassurance.”

A spokesperson for CST said it “welcomes the Metropolitan Police’s announcement of a new dedicated Community Protection Team to tackle antisemitic hate crimes and protect the Jewish community in London. This new measure is an important step at a time of heightened anti-Jewish hatred and reflects the seriousness of the threats currently facing the community.

“The increase in the number of arrests for antisemitic hate crimes in recent weeks is a welcome sign of effective action being taken by the police, which we hope will send a strong message both to the Jewish community and to would-be offenders. CST will continue to work closely with the police, government and other partners to tackle antisemitic hate crime and to protect Jewish life, and we welcome efforts to build a lasting model of protection to tackle this hatred.”

Also welcoming the move, mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “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.

“The new team will combine Met neighbourhood policing officers – who know their communities best – with dedicated specialist Met protection teams working around the clock to reassure and protect London’s Jewish communities. The Met Commissioner and I have set out a detailed proposal to the Government for a new, long-term approach.

Working with the police and others, the mayor claim he is “determined to bear down on antisemitism and ensure Jewish Londoners feel safe and are safe in our city”, adding that “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.”