Britain is moving from limited emergency measures to building a long-term security system to protect Jewish communities, through an unprecedented plan that includes deploying more than 500 additional police officers, strengthening intelligence and field protection, and training all police elements to confront anti-Semitism.
According to a report by journalist Anna Barsky on the Israeli “Maariv Online” website, the British government announced, today, Monday, an investment of 251 million pounds sterling, equivalent to about 1.01 billion shekels, over the next three years, in the largest funding Britain has ever allocated to this field.
The plan comes against the backdrop of a series of violent attacks targeting Jews, and a significant increase in the level of threat facing Jewish communities in the country.
Under the plan, more than 500 additional police will be deployed across England and Wales, with the aim of strengthening the security presence within neighborhoods with large Jewish concentrations, and expanding protection around synagogues, Jewish schools, community centers and other institutions.
The British government confirms that the step aims not only to protect Jewish communities, but also to strengthen national capabilities and police agencies charged with confronting armed operations, ensuring that no religious group feels threatened.
The announcement came after a series of arson attacks in London, raising the national security threat level from “noticeable” to “severe.”
The government says that these developments have prompted it to intensify efforts to protect Jewish communities in various ministries, not only through security and police, but also by addressing the roots of anti-Semitism in the education and health systems and social media networks.
The bulk of the funding will be allocated to increasing police presence in the field and strengthening the ability of local agencies to protect Jewish communities in the long term.
The London Metropolitan Police will receive additional funding worth 86 million pounds, allowing it to cover the expenses of about 300 additional police officers, who will strengthen the security presence within the Jewish neighborhoods in the capital and around community institutions.
London includes about 54% of the Jews residing in England and Wales, and therefore it will receive the largest share of the plan.
Greater Manchester Police will also receive more than £22 million to further expand its reach and fund around 80 additional police officers, following the deadly attack in Heaton Park last year.
About 43 million pounds will be distributed to 7 other police areas with large Jewish populations: Hertfordshire, Essex, Northumbria, Sussex, Thames Valley, West Midlands and West Yorkshire.
In addition to the 500 members who will work within the major Jewish communities, the police services in England and Wales will be able to benefit from about 100,000 additional police hours per year.
These hours will allow intensifying patrols, deploying forces during sensitive periods, and quickly enhancing presence in areas where there are high fears of hate crimes, anti-Semitic incidents, or targeting of Jewish institutions.
The level of patrols will be increased, especially during periods when communities are most at risk, and the public police presence, according to the government, will contribute to giving residents a greater sense of security, deterring perpetrators of hate crimes, and preventing incidents before they occur.
Police officers will also work more regularly and closely with Jewish communities, their representative organizations, and the administrations of synagogues, schools, and places of worship, with the aim of strengthening local communication, improving the flow of information, and detecting threats at early stages.
An essential element of the plan is the continued expansion of “Project Survivor,” which includes the deployment of specialized police officers within communities, including plainclothes officers who have undergone training in monitoring unusual activities and dealing with dangerous threats.
Project participants receive training on detecting suspicious behavior, identifying preparations to carry out serious crimes, and collecting information that may help thwart planned attacks or assaults early on.
The project’s continued funding aims to expand the layer of covert protection within communities, in parallel with the overt police presence around temples, schools, and community centers.
Of the total budget, 59 million pounds will be allocated to police agencies charged with confronting armed operations, with the aim of strengthening preventive protection around institutions and communities, expanding intelligence and investigation capabilities, and confronting security threats and those emanating from countries or entities working in their interest.
£41 million will also be allocated to national policing coordination and expanding public capacity to combat anti-Semitism.
This part will fund training for all police officers in England and Wales on anti-Semitism cases, strengthen investigative agencies, and provide the ability to quickly send forces and resources to any area that needs additional protection for a Jewish community.
It will also strengthen specialist intelligence, investigative and coordination capabilities inside and outside London, with the aim of creating an integrated national response to anti-Semitism, including improving the response to anti-Jewish hate crimes committed online.
One of the most prominent steps of the program is to give all police officers in England and Wales specific training on anti-Semitism, to help them recognize its expressions, understand the characteristics of hate crimes against Jews, manage investigations more accurately, and respond appropriately to incidents inside and outside communities.
The government estimates that the combination of vocational training, a permanent presence in the field, direct communication with community leaders, and the ability to quickly reinforce threatened areas will improve the handling of incidents and increase the population’s sense of security.
The British government stresses that confronting anti-Semitism is not limited to increasing physical protection or deploying more police officers.
Earlier in the year, the Department of Housing, Communities and Local Government announced an additional £1 million to expand the Common Denominator programme, which aims to support communities vulnerable to anti-Semitism and build their resilience.
About half a million pounds were also allocated to Barnet District Council, after it requested government assistance following the attack in Golders Green.
The government also invested £7 million to confront anti-Semitism in schools, colleges and universities, as part of an inter-ministerial effort to address incidents within educational institutions and enhance the protection of Jewish students and students.
The British National Health Service and the Ministry of Education began urgent investigations into manifestations of anti-Semitism within schools and the health system, after the two sectors also witnessed a wave of anti-Jewish incidents and statements.
In parallel, the Internet Safety Law obliges technology companies to remove illegal content from their platforms, including anti-Semitic content, while the government seeks, through the new budget, to strengthen the police response to hate crimes and incitement online.
In addition to investing 251 million pounds sterling over the next 3 years, in the fiscal year 2026-2027, the government will allocate an additional record amount of 32.4 million pounds sterling, or about 131 million shekels, to protect synagogues, Jewish schools and community centers.
This funding will go toward security and physical protection measures within Jewish community institutions, and is separate from the currently announced police budget.
The government also confirms that the new £251 million is in addition to a £25 million budget announced last April, with the aim of providing immediate protection for Jewish communities.
While previous funding was allocated to the immediate, short-term response to the wave of threats and attacks, the new plan extends over three years, allowing police to build a consistent presence, conduct open patrols for an extended period, and deepen cooperation with local communities.
The full funding will be divided into 5 main tracks, the first of which is transferring 86 million pounds sterling to the London Metropolitan Police, to fund about 300 additional police officers and enhance their presence within Jewish communities.
The second path includes transferring more than 22 million pounds to Greater Manchester Police, to maintain the reinforcements deployed after the Heaton Park attack.
About 43 million pounds will be distributed to 7 other police areas with large Jewish populations, while 41 million pounds will be allocated to national coordination, police training, strengthening investigations, and creating a reserve force that can be deployed wherever additional protection is needed.
59 million pounds will go to the police specialized in confronting armed operations, to enhance security and field capabilities and deal with threats emanating from entities linked to states.
British Police Minister Sarah Jones said that the decision to raise the national threat level came after “a series of horrific attacks against Jewish communities,” adding that her thoughts remain with those injured and the victims of those attacks.
She added: “Today we are going one step further, providing record funding that will help maintain the security of British Jews, through visible police and protection around synagogues, schools and community centres.”
She continued: “We will do everything in our power to rid our society of the evil scourge of anti-Semitism.”
For her part, British Treasury Secretary Rachel Reeves stressed that “the poison of anti-Semitism has no place in our country, and we stand by our Jewish communities.”
“This funding will put more police on the streets and provide stronger protection for community sites, to ensure that community members have the protection they need to live their lives in peace,” Reeves said.
The British government says the plan represents a move from an emergency and limited response to a long-term commitment, combining hundreds of additional police officers, an overt and covert presence, strengthening intelligence and security capabilities, training all police elements, protecting Jewish institutions, and tackling anti-Semitism within public institutions and on the Internet.
The goal declared by London is that protection should not be limited to synagogues, schools, and community centers, but rather that Jews throughout Britain can continue their daily and community lives without fear, in parallel with building a national capacity to detect and confront anti-Semitism before it turns into violence.
