Police are considering using drones, live facial recognition and behavioural analysis specialists as they ramp up protection for Jewish communities in the wake of an antisemitic arson attack in London.
The head of counter terrorism policing, assistant commissioner Laurence Taylor, said there is already a “heightened security posture” from teams working with Jewish communities in Britain.
But he said officials are looking at what else they can do, including using drones and deploying ‘Project Servator’ officers, who are specially trained to spot signs that someone is conducting hostile reconnaissance or plotting a crime.
Speaking after four Jewish community ambulances were torched in an antisemitic attack in northwest London, ACC Taylor told the Radio 4’s Today Programme: “We've already got a very heightened security posture working with the Jewish community, we are very fortunate to have a fantastic relationship with Community Security Trust and other partners within that community.
“We're providing advice. We're using the skills and capabilities that we have available, going beyond traditional neighborhood policing, where, clearly, we have an enhanced posture for visibility in those locations across the country.
“But we are also looking at our protective security posture, what expertise we can bring using everything from drones to live facial recognition to our Servator teams who are behavioural analysis, who can then look at people in the area, as well as providing advice and training around hostile reconnaissance and other things.”
He agreed it is “absolutely extraordinary” that Jewish communities in Britain face such threats, adding: “I think it's very sad that we have to have this conversation.”
Counter terrorism policing is investigating whether an Islamist group with possible Iranian state links is behind the blaze.
The vehicles were set alight during the early hours of Monday in Golders Green, north London, with CCTV showing three hooded suspects pouring accelerant over the ambulances, which belong to the community service Hatzola.
A manhunt is currently underway, with the Metropolitan Police stating the incident is not currently being treated as terrorism.
A Telegram channel seen by The Independent purporting to be the official channel of an Islamist group called Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, appeared to claim responsibility for the attack in a video shared to the channel early on Monday morning.
ACC Taylor confirmed it is “one line of inquiry”.
“We need to understand more about that group,” he added. “You'll be aware that they have claimed a number of incidents across Europe. As I said earlier, that is one line of inquiry that we're undertaking.
“We work incredibly closely with our security service partners, and collectively, we are exploring who that group are, what their motivations are, and what level of involvement they had, if at all, in the Golders Green incident yesterday.”
He noted that, if the group is found to be behind the attack, it is not the first Iranian-backed plot on British soil. Last year, the director general of MI5 revealed they had identified more than 20 Iranian backed plots since October 2024, including kidnap and espionage.
Terror police have also seen a “very significant” increase in the investigations into alleged activity by hostile states, including Iran, with cases up by 50 per cent in six months.
“We’ve seen a very significant increase in our work involved with foreign state activity, particularly around that top three of Iran, Russia and China,” ACC Taylor said.
“In the six months up to December last year, we had a 50 per cent increase in National Security Act investigations, and that’s on the back of a five-fold increase over the last four or five years. It is a significant part of our case load.”
Two worshippers were killed in a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester in October 2025 and, in a separate investigation earlier this month, two men were charged with allegedly spying on Jewish people and locations for Iran.
The Metropolitan Police has said it will deploy an extra 264 officers as well as specialist teams including firearms, the mounted branch and drones to boost security for Jewish communities in the run up to Passover in early April.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has called for communities to “all stand together” in the face of the “horrific antisemitic attack”, while Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis said the targeting of the volunteer service was “particularly sickening”.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said the incident was “more than an attack on one organisation or one community” as she pledged that those behind the incident will be pursued and made to face the consequences of their “vile actions”.
The government has also pledged to fund replacements for the ambulances as well as immediate health support.
