Following the horrific attack in Paris where a Muslim extremist held up a Kosher supermarket, British police are set to step up security in Jewish areas, a community spokesman has reported.
The Community Security Trust (CST) which provides security advice to Britain’s estimated 260,000 strong Jewish community said there would be “increased policing in Jewish neighbourhoods for this weekend’s Sabbath.”
In a statement on the website they advised that they would increase the security they provide at synagogues and have issued advisory notices to all Jewish community venues and their security officers.
“These attacks are a dreadful reminder of the deadly threat that terrorism poses today. Jews are repeatedly included amongst the targets of Jihadist terrorism and this is why CST has been on its second highest level of alert for a number of years now, with the highest level being reserved for when an actual attack against British Jews has occurred, or is known to imminent.
“The level of threat and our alert status is why CST’s staff and volunteers do their work. It is why we have partnered with hundreds of UK Jewish community organisations in recent years to install over £5 million worth of security measures wherever possible. It is blatantly obvious that these threats will not diminish any time soon and all decent people must work together in confronting the harsh reality of Jihadist terror.”
Four hostages were killed in the attack on the Kosher supermarket with the gunman, Amedy Coulibaly, also shot when armed police took measures to end the siege.
Although no police forces have confirmed they are stepping up security, the Metropolitan police increased their presence after a spate of anti-Semitic attacks late last year.
In a statement to Breitbart London, they reported there have been 229 anti-Semitic offences in London in 2014 (1 April to 31 October 2014) compared with 97 offences during the same period in 2013. Harassment constitutes the majority of these crimes, and higher volumes do occur in boroughs that have the highest Jewish populations.
“We believe the increase in recorded offences is due to a range of factors. This includes a growing willingness of victims to report hate crime, an improved awareness of MPS staff in identifying these offences; and work with partners to support victims. World events, such as the Gaza conflict, can also contribute to a rise in hate crime, as can high profile Jewish events in the UK. For instance, an increase occurred in Autumn around the period of the Jewish High Holy Days.
“The MPS works closely with organisations representing different faiths regarding hate crime issues, such as the Community Security Trust re anti-Semitic hate crime, who in September issued advice to Jewish people to be security conscious when visiting communal venues ahead of the first High Holy Day. During these events the officers patrolled around synagogues and relevant buildings in partnership with the CST.”
The Association of Chief Police Officers said that while there was no national perspective on the increased threat, the reaction to the killings in Paris would be based on force-level intelligence.
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