Jewish patrol group helps secure convictions for eight over anti-Semitic abuse in 2016

The number of anti-Semitic crimes in north London has been described as of deep concern by a neighbourhood-watch scheme whose actions helped convict eight people in 2016.

Shomrim, a Community Safety Patrol that works with the Jewish people in the Stamford Hill area of Hackney in the capital, helped convict a number of people last after working with police, as well as the arrest of 19 others, some of whom are still awaiting court dates.

The figures arrive after the Jewish support and advice group the Community Security Trust (CST) revealed there had been an 11% rise in anti-Semitic incidents in the UK in the first six months of 2016.

The charity said it had recorded 577 incidents targeting Jews between January and June 2016, an increase on the 473 incidents in the same period a year previously.

Among some of the anti-Semitics convictions brought on by the actions of Shomrim last year include a 15-year-old who use fireworks to target his victims, and a male who made a Nazi salute and shouted "Heil Hitler" in front of a family, including children.

President of Stamford Hill Shomrim, Rabbi Herschel Gluck, said "The number of anti-Semitic incidents in Stamford Hill is of deep concern to us. While we appreciate the authorities dealing with the consequences of anti-Semitism, we would much prefer for these anti-Semitic attitudes not to be there in the first place.

"We strongly commend the Metropolitan Police, and in particular in Hackney and Haringey, for their sterling work in this matter and for bringing offenders to justice."

Gideon Falter, Chairman of Campaign Against Antisemitism said: "The Charedi Jewish community is particularly recognisable and continues to be targeted by antisemitic criminals. Stamford Hill Shomrim's work greatly assists the police and has resulted in a sharp rise in convictions which has no parallel elsewhere in the country.

"The Home Office should be promoting Shomrim around the country as the gold standard for engaging local communities in policing, yet staggeringly Shomrim still does not receive any of the funding made available for protecting the Jewish community by the Home Office."

Shomrim 2016 convictions

• Shehroz Iqbal was given a suspended sentence of 16 weeks and made to undertake 16 weeks of unpaid work after shouting "I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill all of you Jews – you killed my brothers" at a Jewish motorist on 11 September
• Stuart Birnie was jailed for six months in October after being found guilty of racially and religiously aggravated intentional harassment after shouting a string of anti-Semitic comments, including "I'm going to kill all the Jews" at a man in Stamford Hill in December 2015
• Mark Zahra was handed a 12-month community order for shouting "F*****g Jewish scum. Why do you keep calling them [the police], because he's Muslim?" at Shomrim volunteers who were dealing with reports of a burglary
• A 14-year-old boy was fined £20 after he was arrested for racially aggravated common assault after placing lit fireworks in the pockets of Jewish people in January
• Uber driver Rashal Miah was given 100 hours of community service and told to attend anger-management sessions after threatening he would "kill all Jews" while shouting at a Stamford Hill school-bus driver
• Vandell Brooks was fined £200 for hurling abuse at Shomrim volunteers, calling one a "F*****g Jewish c**t"