London police form dedicated Jewish protection unit amid 'deeply troubling rise in antisemitic incidents'

London's Metropolitan Police announced Wednesday (May 6) the creation of a dedicated unit to protect the city's Jewish communities. This step is being taken in response to a sustained wave of antisemitic attacks that have included stabbings, arson and petrol bomb attacks on synagogues in recent weeks. This comes just days after the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) on 30 April 2026 raised the UK national threat level from substantial, meaning an attack is likely, to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely in the next 6 months.

London's new "community protection team"

The new "community protection team," according to AFP, will initially comprise 100 officers and combine neighbourhood policing with specialist protection and counter-terrorism capabilities. Met Commissioner Mark Rowley described it as "an important step in strengthening our response to the sustained threats Jewish communities are facing," adding that the unit brings together "experienced local officers who know their communities, supported by specialist capabilities, to provide more visible, consistent and intelligence-led protection."

The announcement came a day after police confirmed they were investigating yet another arson incident, this time targeting a former synagogue in east London. It followed last week's stabbing of two Jewish men in the Golders Green area of north London, a neighbourhood with one of the city's largest Jewish communities. A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with that attack.

London and a rise in antisemitic acts

The incidents are part of a broader pattern. In March, an arson attack in Golders Green destroyed four ambulances operated by the Hatzola Jewish charity. Bottles suspected of containing petrol have been thrown at two synagogues in separate incidents. The Met said it has arrested over 80 people in the past four weeks in connection with antisemitic hate crimes and the arson attacks.

Rowley had previously signalled he was in discussions with government ministers about forming a larger 300-strong neighbourhood policing team, including specialist armed officers, for the Jewish community. Wednesday's unit, at roughly a third of that size, is being framed as an initial step with the potential to expand.

The Met was careful to stress that the unit is not being created at the expense of protection for 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," the force said. It added that the Jewish protection unit is intended to serve as a potential blueprint for how policing responds when other communities face sustained threats.

Separately, England and Wales chief prosecutor Stephen Parkinson announced Tuesday that hate crime prosecutions would be fast-tracked, citing a "deeply troubling rise in antisemitic incidents."