Shomrim pays tribute to police sergeant fatally shot in Croydon
Chaim Hochhauser of the group's Stamford Hill Branch said Sgt Matt Ratana 'was very nice, helpful, and his approach was ‘how can we make the Jewish community feel comfortable?'
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
Members of the Stamford Hill Jewish community “could not believe it” when they heard of the fatal shooting of Sergeant Matt Ratana in Croydon Police custody suite last week.
Chaim Hochhauser, of the Stamford Hill branch of Shomrim, the community security group which has close links with the Metropolitan Police, knew Sergeant Ratana well.
He said: “Sergeant Ratana was part of the Safer Neighbourhood team in Hackney and we went on a lot of patrols together. He was very nice, very helpful, and his main approach was ‘how can we make the Jewish community feel comfortable?’”
Mr Hochhauser said that the sergeant was keen on “stamping out instances of antisemitism”. In return Shomrim donated bike lights and helmets to the local police team — “it worked both ways”.
Only two weeks ago Sergeant Ratana, who was originally from a Maori family in New Zealand, had sent Mr Hochhauser a message wishing him a happy new year. “His text is still on my phone”.
“We have lost a great friend”, Mr Hochhauser said. “No one can believe what has happened”. He said that in due course Shomrim would consider what the organisation would like to do to honour Sergeant Ratana’s memory.
RIP Sgt Ratana. A special Police officer and a great friend of #Shomrim and the wider Hackney community. @MPSHackney https://t.co/KlTNwzw4lk
— Shomrim (Stamford Hill) (@Shomrim) September 26, 2020
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.
