Mayor reassures communities that extra security measures and support will continue to keep places of worship safe in capital

• Mayor continuing to work closely with Metropolitan Police and communities across London following the impact of the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas in Israel
• Increased neighbourhood reassurance patrols continue and more protection is in place to ensure safety and security of places of worship across the capital
• Sadiq announces more support today for faith leaders in London with extra practical guidance and information to keep premises safe and help build a safer city for everyone

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has reassured communities across the capital today that increased security measures will continue to be in place to protect places of worship following the impact of the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas in Israel.

The horrific loss of life in both Israel and Gaza in the last week has impacted communities across London and the Mayor is determined to do everything he can to support communities and show that there is zero-tolerance to any Islamophobia or antisemitism.

City Hall’s resilience team and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) are continuing to work closely with London’s communities, and the Metropolitan Police has stepped up patrols to provide reassurance and deter hateful acts. This includes a rolling programme of security visits to all London Synagogues.

As part of ongoing work from City Hall to support faith leaders, the Mayor has also announced today a new Community Resilience Champions programme¹, which is being run in partnership with London Boroughs Faiths Network, to provide more practical support for faith leaders on how to keep their places of worship safe for staff, visitors and communities.

The programme is designed to give faith leaders and communities further expert support to ensure security in their buildings and practical guidance to stamp out hate. That includes safety actions, safeguarding and how to support communities in the event of emergencies.

This £10,000 investment, which has been announced during National Hate Crime Awareness Week, strengthens the existing support which is already in place, with MOPAC providing hundreds of free safety and security seminars and webinars for places of worship which impart practical tips on how to keep premises and worshippers safe.²

It is also builds on the Mayor’s record £3million Shared Endeavour Fund³ which is empowering thousands of Londoners to get involved in grassroots community-led projects across London that stand up to tackle extremism, hate, intolerance and radicalisation wherever they are.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The suffering and loss of innocent life in both Israel and Gaza is truly heart-breaking and my thoughts are with all those impacted. It’s vital that we don’t allow events overseas to spill over onto our streets in London and I want to reassure both the Jewish community and the Muslim community that we will take a zero-tolerance approach to any Islamophobia or antisemitism.

“I’m continuing to work closely with the police and community leaders to ensure our communities feel safe, and are safe, as they go about their daily lives. Our city is united against all forms of hate and we will continue to do all we can to support faith leaders and communities as we build a safer London for all.”

Fiona Twycross, Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience, said: “We know that the potential threats our communities and cities are facing is evolving which is why the Mayor and I are committed to working with faith leaders to ensure that their places of worship remain safe spaces where individuals and communities can come together in peace. It’s incredibly important that we do all we can to protect our communities and the Mayor’s new Community Resilience Champions programme will help to build a safer city for all Londoners.”

Steve Miller, Convenor at the London Boroughs Faiths Network, said: “After many years of discussion, and with the insights we gained through the pandemic, I'm delighted that the Community Resilience training course is being launched. It will enhance the potential for faith communities and emergency responders to work together. Now is a great opportunity for every faith tradition and place of worship to begin the process of building a London-wide network of Community Resilience Champions and Responders by nominating key leaders to be a part of this course.”

Dr Deesha Chadha, Co-Chair of the London Faith and Belief Sector Panel, said: “I strongly encourage anyone who represents their place of worship to register for this free training which provides you with all the necessary tools and guidance to keep your places of worship safe, secure and prepared for emergencies. Resilience training for communities is becoming ever more important as communities seek to respond to a myriad of potential risks and hazards. I especially recommend this training to representatives from the Dharmic faith traditions – who do not always take up such opportunities – as it is relevant, up-to-date, delivered by experts and could make a significant, tangible difference to their communities.”

Notes to Editors

[1] The launch of the Mayor’s Community Resilience Champions programme comes during this year’s National Hate Crime Awareness Week 2023 (14th to 21st October). The new funding boost builds on the £200,000 investment the Mayor has already made, through his Community Resilience Fund, to support boroughs to prepare for emergencies.

Applications are now open for up to 75 faith leaders to join the Community Resilience Champions programme and the Mayor is encouraging faith leaders to sign-up: https://www.london.gov.uk/programmes-strategies/fire-and-city-resilience/london-resilience-partnership/preparing-your-community-emergencies/community-resilience-faith-communities. 

The new programme for faith leaders – which is in addition to the ongoing support already provided by City Hall – will be led by experts from the emergency services, local authorities and voluntary sector organisations and will include:

• Practical guidance and support on how to make places of worship safe – this means ensuring that places of worship have adequate security, insurance and fire safety in place. The training will also support faith leaders and ensure they understand forthcoming legislation which requires them to consider how to mitigate terrorism (Martyn’s Law⁴).
• Keeping visitors and staff at places of worship safe –supporting faith leaders to understand their safeguarding responsibilities towards children and vulnerable adults and offer first aid training and mental health and wellbeing training.

• The role of places of worship during an emergency – the programme will demonstrate how faith leaders can support their communities in the event of emergencies like fires, floods, terrorist attacks, cyber outages, and pandemics. This includes understanding the role of places of worship as refuge centres in situations where local residents are evacuated from their homes.

[2] The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) has been providing regular free safety and security seminars and webinars for places of worship since 2019.

[3] In April 2023, the Mayor announced a new £875,000 investment as part of his Shared Endeavour Fund to support community projects tackling extremism, hate, intolerance and radicalisation across London.

The Mayor has invested a record £3m – more than any other previous Mayor – to support grassroot efforts to stand up to hate and radicalisation. The Shared Endeavour Fund has already supported more than 70 projects since 2020, with over 90,000 Londoners benefitting: https://www.london.gov.uk/mayor-announces-new-ps875000-funding-help-londons-communities-tackle-hate-and-extremism.

[4] New forthcoming government legislation, known as ‘Martyn’s Law’, is coming into force to ensure better protection against the continued and evolving threat that the UK faces from terrorism.

Support, guidance and training will help embed best practice and drive-up standards across the UK. The law is in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017.