Armed police step up patrols after man 'spotted carrying weapon near synagogue'
11 October 2023, 17:42
Armed police have stepped up patrols in Radlett, near Hertfordshire, following reports a man had been spotted 'carrying a weapon' near a synagogue.
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One person was stopped and searched by Hertfordshire Police, though no suspect was identified.
Armed police were patrolling the area on Tuesday evening, conducting a "thorough" search.
It followed a report at atound 7.30pm that a man was carrying a 'weapon', which could have been an imitation firearm, in Watling Street, Radlett.
There are two synagogues in Watling Street: Radlett Reform Synagogue and Radlett United Synagogue.
Inspector Rachael Robertson said she recognised that the incident "will no doubt cause some concern amongst our community."
"I would like to reassure everyone that we are proactively patrolling the area and engaging with the public," she said.
"It is our duty to keep everyone safe. If you have any concerns or if you see anything suspicious, please contact police."
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It comes after the Home Secretary wrote to police chiefs to urge them to use the "full force of the law" against those amid concerns tensions will explode following the Israel-Gaza conflict.
"It is not just explicit pro-Hamas symbols and chants that are cause for concern," she wrote in a letter to police chiefs in England and Wales.
"I would encourage police to consider whether chants such as 'From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free' should be understood as an expression of a violent desire to see Israel erased from the world, and whether its use in certain contexts may amount to a racially aggravated Section 5 public order offence."
