THE SHOMRIM STORY
OUR HISTORY
New York, 1970s: In response to the high crime rates and violence against the Jewish Community, the first Shomrim patrols were founded in New York City. Since then, Jewish communities around the world have followed suit, establishing their own local Shomrim patrols, to protect, educate, and build connections with the government.
London, 2008: Shomrim Stamford Hill was founded by members of the North London Orthodox Jewish Community, led by Rabbi Herschel Gluck. Bringing with him a lifetime commitment to inter-communal understanding and work countering hate crimes in the UK, London Shomrim has grown into an internationally acclaimed leader in crime prevention, public safety and community awareness.
Shomrim’s quick response times, expertise in working with local people, and dedication to making the entire area safer have helped overcome scepticism and win the trust and respect of politicians, the police, and the community at large.
WHO WE ARE TODAY
TO MAKE THE COMMUNITY SAFER FOR ALL OUR RESIDENTS
London’s 26 Shomrim volunteers are on call 24/7, actively working to prevent crime and increase safety for the whole community, by working closely with the police, inter-community leaders and other agencies.
Shomrim has been at the forefront of recognising and addressing issues to build stronger relationships between the diverse communities and government agencies, not only winning the respect of the police and politicians throughout the city, but also international acclaim for our unprecedented success.
In the past 10 years, Shomrim has made monumental achievements in our efforts to promote good neighbourly relation between our ethnically diverse communities, combat crime raise awareness and provide services for the community, including:
Hours Hotline
Nights of patrol
Trained Volunteers
On-call Responders
Districts
Seconds respond time
Acting as the “eyes and ears” of the community, we assist the over-stretched emergency forces. Using our local knowledge to help them gather vital evidence, respond to local incidents, prosecute criminals and marshal additional assistance when needed, for example, to locate a missing person.
We are constantly adapting to meet the changing needs of the Stamford Hill area, for example, combating rising knife crime, and assisting the local Islamic community to protect itself from violence.
Today, Shomrim is proud of the Jewish values on which it is based. However, we are absolutely committed to helping everyone without prejudice, and believe that by using the resources of the Jewish community to benefit everyone, we are helping to promote a positive image of our community and consequently challenge antisemitism .
In the midst of a capital struggling with rising rates of crime, London Shomrim is a success story demonstrating how local communities can mobilise to create a safer community for everyone.
Areas of Patrol
