Police are contemplating utilizing drones, dwell facial recognition and behavioural evaluation specialists as they ramp up safety for Jewish communities within the wake of an antisemitic arson assault in London.
The head of counter terrorism policing, assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, mentioned there may be already a “heightened security posture” from groups working with Jewish communities in Britain.
But he mentioned officers are what else they’ll do, together with utilizing drones and deploying ‘Project Servator’ officers, who’re specifically skilled to identify indicators that somebody is conducting hostile reconnaissance or plotting a criminal offense.
Speaking after 4 Jewish group ambulances had been torched in an antisemitic assault in northwest London, ACC Taylor advised the Radio 4’s Today Programme: “We’ve already got a very heightened security posture working with the Jewish community, we are very fortunate to have a fantastic relationship with Community Security Trust and other partners within that community.
“We’re providing advice. We’re using the skills and capabilities that we have available, going beyond traditional neighborhood policing, where, clearly, we have an enhanced posture for visibility in those locations across the country.
“But we are also looking at our protective security posture, what expertise we can bring using everything from drones to live facial recognition to our Servator teams who are behavioural analysis, who can then look at people in the area, as well as providing advice and training around hostile reconnaissance and other things.”
He agreed it’s “absolutely extraordinary” that Jewish communities in Britain face such threats, including: “I think it’s very sad that we have to have this conversation.”
Counter terrorism policing is investigating whether or not an Islamist group with potential Iranian state hyperlinks is behind the blaze.
The autos had been set alight throughout the early hours of Monday in Golders Green, north London, with CCTV exhibiting three hooded suspects pouring accelerant over the ambulances, which belong to the group service Hatzola.
A manhunt is at present underway, with the Metropolitan Police stating the incident just isn’t at present being handled as terrorism.
A Telegram channel seen by The Independent purporting to be the official channel of an Islamist group known as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, appeared to say accountability for the assault in a video shared to the channel early on Monday morning.
ACC Taylor confirmed it’s “one line of inquiry”.
“We need to understand more about that group,” he added. “You’ll be aware that they have claimed a number of incidents across Europe. As I said earlier, that is one line of inquiry that we’re undertaking.
“We work incredibly closely with our security service partners, and collectively, we are exploring who that group are, what their motivations are, and what level of involvement they had, if at all, in the Golders Green incident yesterday.”
He famous that, if the group is discovered to be behind the assault, it isn’t the primary Iranian-backed plot on British soil. Last 12 months, the director basic of MI5 revealed that they had recognized greater than 20 Iranian backed plots since October 2024, together with kidnap and espionage.
Terror police have additionally seen a “very significant” improve within the investigations into alleged exercise by hostile states, together with Iran, with instances up by 50 per cent in six months.
“We’ve seen a very significant increase in our work involved with foreign state activity, particularly around that top three of Iran, Russia and China,” ACC Taylor mentioned.
“In the six months up to December last year, we had a 50 per cent increase in National Security Act investigations, and that’s on the back of a five-fold increase over the last four or five years. It is a significant part of our case load.”
Two worshippers had been killed in a lethal assault on a synagogue in Manchester in October 2025 and, in a separate investigation earlier this month, two males had been charged with allegedly spying on Jewish folks and places for Iran.
The Metropolitan Police has mentioned it would deploy an additional 264 officers in addition to specialist groups together with firearms, the mounted department and drones to spice up safety for Jewish communities within the run as much as Passover in early April.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has known as for communities to “all stand together” within the face of the “horrific antisemitic attack”, whereas Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis mentioned the concentrating on of the volunteer service was “particularly sickening”.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood mentioned the incident was “more than an attack on one organisation or one community” as she pledged that these behind the incident will probably be pursued and made to face the implications of their “vile actions”.
The authorities has additionally pledged to fund replacements for the ambulances in addition to fast well being assist.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/golders-green-arson-police-drones-jewish-community-b2944431.html