News
Police accused of 'betraying' British Jews as antisemitic crime reaches record levels
July 16, 2017 16:10
Antisemitic crime has risen to record levels, new research has shown, as campaigners accuse the police and prosecutors of “betraying” British Jews.
The report, compiled by the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), claims that in 2016 antisemitic crime surged to the worst level ever recorded – a rise of 44 per cent since 2014.
The figures, obtained through Freedom of Information, also appeared to show that violent instances of crime disproportionately affected smaller communities, found outside London and Manchester.
The group, which said it obtained figures from all UK police forces, reported that there were 1,078 antisemitic crimes in 2016.
Figures from the Community Security Trust, published in February, showed there were 1,309 antisemitic incidents in 2016, a record high in the 33 years the charity has been monitoring antisemitism.
Gideon Falter, the chairman of CAA, attacked police forces and prosecutors, saying their “failure of police forces and the Crown Prosecution Service to protect British Jews is a betrayal.”
Mr Falter said: “The solutions are simple, but whilst the right promises are being made, little has been implemented. The result is that British Jews continue to endure intolerable levels of hate crime.
“Britain has the political will to fight antisemitism and strong laws with which to do it, but those responsible for tackling the rapidly growing racist targeting of British Jews are failing to enforce the law.
“There is a very real danger of Jewish citizens emigrating, as has happened elsewhere in Europe unless there is radical change.”
CAA criticised the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for prosecuting too few cases of antisemitic crime, but the CPS said it does not recognise the figures. The CPS argued it is “wrong” to claim it does not take prosecuting antisemitic crime seriously.
A CPS spokesman said: “Last year we prosecuted more hate crimes than ever before – more than 15,000 cases.
“Religiously-aggravated hate crimes display an ugly element of society which can be devastating to victims who have been targeted because of their beliefs.
“We will always prosecute crimes against people of all faiths where there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to do so.”
Chief Superintendent Dave Stringer, who works in community engagement, defended the Metropolitan Police, saying the force was committed to tackling hate crime “in all its forms”.
He added: “The Metropolitan Police has long since recognised the impact of hate crime on communities and the hidden nature of this crime, which remains largely under reported and it stands together with policing partners, colleagues and groups to investigate all hate crime allegations, support victims and their families and bring perpetrators to justice.”
