London Police Launch Special Jewish Protection Unit After Wave of Attacks

London’s Metropolitan Police announced Wednesday the creation of a new unit dedicated to protecting Jewish communities following a series of violent antisemitic attacks across the British capital.

The new “community protection team” will initially include 100 additional officers and combine neighborhood patrols with specialist protection and counterterror capabilities. Police said the force will provide “a more visible, intelligence-led and coordinated presence” focused on protecting Jewish areas and institutions.

The announcement comes as British authorities increasingly describe antisemitism in the country as a national security issue rather than a series of isolated hate crimes. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley recently warned that UK Jews are facing the “greatest-ever threat” to the community, as attacks linked to extremist movements and possible foreign influence continue to rise.

Rowley had previously discussed creating a 300-officer protection force for Jewish neighborhoods. The newly announced unit is smaller but is backed by government funding and will begin operating immediately.

“This is an important step in strengthening our response to the sustained threats Jewish communities are facing,” Rowley said in a statement.

The decision follows several recent attacks targeting Jews and Jewish institutions in London.

Last week, two Jewish men were stabbed in the heavily Jewish Golders Green neighborhood in what authorities are investigating as a terror attack. A suspect was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

In March, four ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency organization Hatzola were destroyed in an arson attack in the same neighborhood. In separate incidents, bottles suspected of containing gasoline were thrown at synagogues.

On Tuesday, police also confirmed they were investigating another suspected antisemitic arson incident involving a former synagogue in east London’s Whitechapel area. Authorities said minor damage was caused to gates and a lock outside the building, with no injuries reported.

The Metropolitan Police said more than 80 arrests have been made in the past four weeks in connection with antisemitic hate crimes and related attacks.

British authorities are also examining whether some incidents may be linked to hostile foreign actors. Police said investigations are continuing into possible Iranian involvement in several attacks, though officials have not publicly confirmed direct responsibility.

In its statement Wednesday, the Met warned that Jewish communities are increasingly being targeted by multiple extremist movements simultaneously, including Islamist extremists, far-right groups, hostile state actors, and elements of the extreme left.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held emergency discussions this week on the growing antisemitism crisis and warned that any foreign-backed attempts to spread violence or intimidation inside Britain would “not be tolerated.”

Meanwhile, Stephen Parkinson, the chief prosecutor for England and Wales, announced Tuesday that hate crime cases would now be fast-tracked through the legal system because of what he called a “deeply troubling rise in antisemitic incidents.”

Under the new policy, prosecutors will be able to bring charges more quickly in some hate crime investigations while additional evidence continues to be gathered.

The Community Security Trust, a British Jewish security organization, recently reported roughly 3,700 antisemitic incidents across the UK in 2025, more than double the figure recorded in 2022.

Police said the new protection unit is initially focused on Jewish communities but could eventually serve as a broader model for responding to heightened threats against other groups during periods of tension.

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