Stamford Hill gets ‘reassuring’ armed police patrol
The Strictly-Orthodox community in north London welcomed the move as a deterrence for anti-Semites
Orthodox community volunteer service Shomrim has welcomed the “reassuring” sight of armed police patrolling the streets of Stamford Hill.
Security volunteers at Shomrim’s north-east London branch thanked the Metropolitan Police for providing extra armed units around the capital as part of Operation Hercules, saying this “acts both as deterrence and reassurance”.
The move follows Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe’s promise to deploy more visibly armed officers on targeted patrols, both in vehicles and on foot, after a string of deadly terrorist attacks in European cities.
“The threat level in the UK is severe, which means that an attack is highly likely,” he said, explaining that officers would be visibly armed with handguns, semi-automatic weapons and tasers in a “change of tactic”.
A spokesperson for Community Security Trust said told Jewish News, they and “the Police have worked very closely together to plan and enact armed foot patrols in various areas of London with large Jewish communities. It is not in response to any specific threat, but is part of the overall increase in visibly armed Police patrols in London. This is all made sadly necessary because of the overall general situation, and our community should expect to see more of CST and Police doing it in future.”
Online, the reaction on social media seemed split as to whether the sight of armed officers was reassuring. One user tweeted that “semi-automatic weapons on the street makes me feel less safe,” while another agreed it was “the opposite of reassuring”.
However Hackney Police responded, saying: “Times are changing. The MPS has to be prepared for an attack. Don’t be alarmed, be alert.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.