Silent Crime: Meet the Jewish Guardian Angels of Stamford Hill protecting the community

Stamford Hill in Hackney is home to Europe’s largest Haredi Jewish community and is often plagued by anti-Semitic attacks. The intensity of these attacks has increased since the October 7 terror attacks on Israel.

Shomrim, which originated in Brooklyn in the late 1970s, was first set up in London in 2008 due to cuts in Met Police resources.

The volunteer group, made up of over 30 Haredi Jews helps combat burglary, vandalism, mugging, assault, domestic violence and antisemitic attacks. They also help locate missing people.

“We are the eyes and ears for the police in the community,” explained Rabbi Herschel Gluck, the president of North-East London Shomrim.

“The level of crime has reduced in the area owing to the intelligence and observations of the Shomrim volunteers,” he told LondonWorld at his home in Stamford Hill.

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Mr Gluck OBE has been a Rabbi in the community since 1983 and is chairman of the Arab-Jewish Forum and chairman and founder of the Muslim-Jewish Forum.

“We’re not just here to protect the Jewish community, we’re here to care and protect every section of society,” said Mr Gluck.

Rabbi Gluck shared his disappointment in the police in responding to “silent crimes” in the community like burglaries and vandalism.

“There was a spate of breaking Jewish shop windows and we had to put a lot of pressure on the police for them to do anything about this,” he said.

“This affected their trade and this also cost them a tremendous amount of money because plated glass on shop fronts is very expensive.

“This kept on happening, it didn’t just happen once it happened numerous times and the police were really nonchalant, we had to convince the police to wake up and do something about it.

“Also shoplifting is an issue and the response of the police, they needed to be dragged in to do something about it.”

Shomrim offers a 24 hour service, seven days a week where its volunteers, who are all married with families, respond at any time of day.

“In the middle of the night if a call comes through they jump out of bed and head to the area where the dispatcher says the situation is ongoing,” Mr Gluck explained.

“We are not the police, we do not duplicate the police, we are there to help the police.

“When there is a burglary in a house we get there when the burglar is still in the house and we meet them when they come out.

“We keep our eye on the burglar till the police come and then we inform them on what we’ve witnessed.”

All volunteers are First Aid trained by St John’s Ambulance and are able to offer support ahead of the emergency services arrival.

“It's hard work and requires a lot of engagement but Thank God we are able to contribute something unique and special to protect and help the lives of people,” Mr Gluck added.

This week at the Labour Party conference Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pledged to introduce new powers to respond to antisocial behaviour, shoplifting and off-road bikes, with more neighbourhood police expected in communities.

The government plans legislation which will see “respect orders”, which are designed to ban persistent antisocial offenders from town centres, including for issues linked to public drinking and drug use. And it has promised an additional 13,000 police officers and PCSOs along with guaranteed local patrols.

And after sustained campaigning from shop workers union Usdaw and the Co-op, there will be a new specific offence of assaulting a shop worker.

When asked about the new government’s plans, Mr Gluck said he would like to see more engagement from the government with people on the ground.

“Until then I don’t see any effective change because it all happens in the ether and it's not targeted,” he said.

“It doesn’t affect the crime and fear that people on the street encounter.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The new government has a Safer Streets mission. We will deliver thousands of extra neighbourhood police and community support officers and bring in tougher measures to tackle violent crime and persistent anti-social behaviour.”