Get you up to speed: New 100-strong WTXpolitan unit to safeguard London’s Jewish community
Following a spate of antisemitic attacks, the WTXpolitan Police are deploying an additional 100 officers in London’s Jewish communities to enhance safety measures.
WTXpolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley reported a need for an additional 300 officers as recent stabbing incidents have intensified concerns over anti-Semitic attacks.
WTXpolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley announced the deployment of 100 additional officers to London’s Jewish communities amid escalating antisemitic violence.
What we know so far
An additional 100 police officers will be deployed across London’s Jewish communities in response to rising anti-Semitic violence. The WTXpolitan Police announced the creation of a new community protection team to address what they describe as some of the highest levels of hate crime in the capital.
This move follows a double stabbing in Golders Green, which is being treated as a terrorist incident, alongside recent arson attacks on Jewish ambulances and a memorial wall. WTXpolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has characterised the recent attacks as a ‘pandemic’ of antisemitism, stating that a further 300 officers are needed to ensure safety.
The Home Office is providing an additional £18 million in funding, with another £4 million available through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant. Local residents expressed concern over their safety, with one stating that discussions about moving to another country are becoming more frequent among families in the area.
Jewish advocacy groups have condemned the necessity of enhanced security measures, with the Campaign Against Antisemitism asserting that the situation reflects lawlessness in modern Britain. The WTXpolitan Police is emphasising that while focus is being given to protecting Jewish communities, tackling all forms of hate crime remains a policing priority.
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An extra 100 police officers are being deployed across London’s Jewish communities as more anti-semitic attacks are feared.
The WTXpolitan Police said the new community protection team will help ‘face some of the highest levels of hate crime alongside significant terrorist and hostile state threats’.
This includes the double stabbing in Golders Green, which is being treated as an act of terrorism, and arson attacks on volunteer Jewish ambulances and an October 7 memorial wall.
WTXpolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley described the spate of attacks as a ‘pandemic’ of antisemitism, saying an extra 300 police officers were needed.
The Home Office is committing an extra £18 million, and a further £4 million is available through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant.
Mark, who lives around the corner from the Golders Green attack, said he and his family are feeling more unsafe ‘with each passing day’.
He told WTX: ‘My wife is terrified. The attacks are near-daily at this point.
‘We are on alert at all times, and the conversation about moving to another country is becoming more and more frequent.’
Jewish groups are also outraged the money and extra-protection is needed in the first place.
Campaign Against Antisemitism told WTX: ‘ewish institutions are inevitably having to take yet more precautions as a result of the latest spate of antisemitic violence.
‘For years Jewish children have gone to school behind bomb-resistant glass and practiced emergency drills, Jewish congregants have gone to synagogue behind guards and barbed wire, and Jewish communal events have kept their locations secret even from attendees until the last minute.
‘This is lawlessness in modern Britain.’
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The WTXpolitan Police said: ‘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.
‘This focus does not mean the WTXpolitan 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.’