Politics
Home secretary announces new funding and task force to tackle antisemitism
At the annual CST dinner, Suella Braverman said she would be increasing community funding by £1m
March 29, 2023 20:54
At the annual CST dinner, Suella Braverman said she would be increasing community funding by £1m
March 29, 2023 20:54Home Secretary Suella Braverman has unveiled fresh measures to enhance Jewish community security and crack down on antisemitic crimes, pledging an increase of £1 million in funding and a new dedicated task force.
Synagogues and faith schools will be given £15 million for protective security measures in 2023-24 as part of the Jewish Community Protective Security grant, a £1 million increase from last year.
According to the Home Secretary, this will fund “increased protective security, including security guards and other security measures such as CCTV and alarm systems to protect against persistent hate crime, anti-social behaviour, terrorism, and state threats.”
In addition, senior policing leaders, ministers, the Community Security Trust, and other stakeholders will form a new Jewish Community Police, Crime and Security Taskforce which will strengthen accountability and enhance efforts to combat antisemitic and violent crime against Jewish communities.
The Home Secretary herself will also chair a regular forum to discuss with operational partners “communal security concerns relating to policing, terrorism, state threats, hate crime, and public order matters”. The forum will meet for the first time in late spring, and three times a year thereafter.
Home Secretary Braverman said Wednesday at the Community Security Trust’s Annual Dinner that “Antisemitism is one of the great evils in the world. It is vital that all people, but especially political leaders, challenge antisemitism whenever and wherever they encounter it.
“Attacks on the Jewish community are abhorrent. I applaud the police’s efforts to tackle these crimes, but we must go further to ensure the vile criminals who threaten the peace and safety of Jewish communities feel the full force of the law.
“I am proud to be working closely with the Community Security Trust and colleagues in policing and beyond to help protect the UK’s Jewish community, go after antisemitic offenders, and stamp out racism in all its forms.”
The announcement follows the release of the latest Home Office hate crime statistics which show that despite making up less than 1 per cent of the UK population, Jewish people made up almost a quarter of all religiously-motivated hate crimes in the UK in 2021-2022.
CST Chief Executive Mark Gardner MBE said: “This announcement by the Home Secretary is hugely welcome, given the continuing threats of terrorism and antisemitism that are faced by British Jews. CST will continue to do everything we can in partnership with the Home Office so as to ensure the best possible security for Jewish schools, synagogues and communities throughout the country.”
Minister for Security, Tom Tugendhat said: "Antisemitism is abhorrent and I stand hand in hand with the Jewish community against all its manifestations.
"We must continue to strive to ensure that every community can live and worship in safety, free from threat."
National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Hate Crime, Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton, said: “It is vital that all citizens are able to live their lives free from targeted abuse, and the NPCC supports this funding to help reduce antisemitic hostility suffered by Jewish people in the UK.
“The right to live free from targeted abuse is a fundamental right that we all share and we will continue to work to bring offenders to justice. I would encourage anyone who suffers such a crime to report it, either to the police or to the Community Security Trust. In an emergency, always call 999.”
The Home Secretary also pledged to write to all Home Office public bodies and every Chief Constable and Police and Crime Commissioner, as well as the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing and the Crown Prosecution Service, to “reaffirm the government’s support for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, and encourage its further adoption.”
The new funding will bring the total amount allocated through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant to £122 million since 2015.