Met Police Launches 100-Officer Jewish Protection Team

London's Metropolitan Police announced on Wednesday the creation of a new 100-officer Community Protection Team dedicated to safeguarding Jewish communities across the capital, following a series of antisemitic attacks including a double stabbing in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Golders Green.

The unit combines neighborhood policing with specialist protection and counterterrorism capabilities, providing a more visible and intelligence-led presence. Officers will build ties with local residents, schools, faith leaders and volunteers, initially focusing on areas facing elevated hate crime levels alongside terrorist and hostile state threats. The move addresses recent incidents, such as the April 29 stabbing of two Orthodox Jewish men in Golders Green, which police are treating as terrorism. Other attacks include arson on volunteer Jewish ambulances, an October 7 memorial wall, a former synagogue in Whitechapel and a firebombing at another synagogue.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley described the spate as a "pandemic of antisemitism" and called for hundreds more officers to ensure safety. "The creation of a new Community Protection Team of around 100 officers...