Extra £25m to be invested in protecting Jewish communities after Golders Green double stabbing

George Bunn
Thu, 30 Apr 2026 06:36:04 +0000

An extra £25million is set to be invested to protect Jewish communities after yesterday's horror double stabbing in Golders Green.

Officers across the country have stepped up patrols in response to the attack that saw two men, 34-year-old Shilome Rand and 76-year-old Moshe Ben Baila, being taken to hospital.

A 45-year-old man, identified by Scotland Yard as a Somali-born British national, was arrested following the incident.

Responding to the attack, Sir Keir Starmer vowed that the Government would provide more funding for security at Jewish sites and tackle "malign state actors" linked to recent violence.

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Meanwhile, legislation will also be fast-tracked in the coming weeks to provide authorities with powers to target individuals and groups acting on behalf of state-sponsored organisations, following a number of incidents linked to Iranian proxies.

It would mean anyone acting as a proxy of a state-sponsored group can be investigated and prosecuted under the National Security Act, treating them in the same way as a foreign intelligence operative.

The Government said the new funding brings the total amount committed to protecting Jewish communities to £58million for the year.

It will be spent on increasing police patrols, boosting security at synagogues, schools and community centres, and putting more plain-clothes and specialist officers in targeted communities.

Opposition politicians have also joined calls to ban the marches, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch saying it was "quite clear they are used as a cover for violence and intimidation against Jews".

Police forces across the country have confirmed officers will step up patrols in Jewish areas in response to Wednesday’s attack.

Greater Manchester Police said it had deployed extra officers around the city, with a "high-visibility presence within our Jewish communities in north Manchester, Bury and Salford".

West Yorkshire Police and Thames Valley Police both said they would increase patrols to "provide additional reassurance".

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In London, counter-terrorism officers investigating the attack said they were also searching an address in the south-east of the city after it was reported the suspect had been involved in a prior "altercation" with another person.

A joint statement from detective chief superintendent Luke Williams, the regional basic command unit commander, and Barnet Council chief executive Cath Shaw said "significant number of officers" would be in the area to support the investigation.

This morning, the police cordon surrounding the scene has been lifted, with traffic resuming along Golders Green Road in both directions.

Parts of Highfield Avenue, Beverley Gardens and Golders Green Road in north-west London had been sealed off following the stabbings.

However, the roads were opened again by 7am.