OPINION: Extremists only have to be lucky once. The Jewish community has to be lucky every day
Unless we know the scale of the problem, we are fighting extremism with one hand tied behind our back, writes former Finchley and Golders Green MP, Mike Freer
It was the IRA after failing to kill Mrs Thatcher in the Brighton bomb, who said, ‘We only have to be lucky once’. As we saw in Manchester, it doesn’t take sophisticated methods for an extremist to be ‘lucky’ and kill.
Early in my time as an MP, I visited a small local Jewish school and became aware of how poor security was. Jewish schools in the voluntary aided sector received some help with physical security but the rest got little, if any, government help. The result was that too many independent Jewish schools and community venues, had very little physical security.
By coincidence, soon after visiting the school, I visited JW3 and discovered that the extensive security there was privately funded. Not only was this not this fair but it left Jewish premises and the community vulnerable. I then started lobbying the Home Secretary (Theresa May) and the then PM (David Cameron) for more broad-based security funding. The funding for security is now £20m+ per year and yet security is still inconsistent.
Too many premises are not ‘on the radar and so are not accessing the available funds. Too many organisations do not know about the fund for instance, in my former constituency of Finchley & Golders Green, there was a community centre (not Jewish) operated for a small and discreet faith based community.
Their premises had been attacked and vandalised not by random individuals but by others who objected to their strand of their faith. They had no idea of the fund they could apply to for help with security doors and better CCTV. The amazing CST were able to signpost this non-Jewish group to where financial support from the fund could be accessed.
The fund is not a small sum, but it is stretched too thinly and still leaves premises vulnerable.
Before I left Parliament, I had been in discussions with Rishi Sunak and his team at No10 about undertaking a root and branch review of vulnerable premises. First, let’s identify the premises; second, map out their needs in total; third, establish the cost of putting the measures in place; last, ensure the fund is flexible to meet emerging needs (for instance heavy wooden doors work to prevent an intruder getting access, but sadly can’t stop a stray bullet).
Unless we know the scale of the problem, then we have no idea what needs to be done to make our communities safe. Let us get this review done. Until we do, we are fighting extremism with one hand tied behind our back.
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