Antisemitic crime updates

Antisemitic crime updates

Good evening,

We wanted to get in touch to update you on an incident that we know caused much distress earlier this year.

Kamil Mach, aged 19, of Holywell Road, Watford, has been fined more than £500 for giving a Nazi salute outside a Borehamwood synagogue.

Mach appeared at St Albans Magistrates’ Court on Friday 16 October and had been charged with a racially/religiously aggravated Section 5 public order offence.

In addition to the fine, he must also pay a victim surcharge of £200 and £85 in court costs.

The incident occurred in Croxdale Road on Saturday 9 May as worshippers were leaving the synagogue.

We hope the news of Mach’s court hearing is reassuring. Our newly formed team Community Protection Team is continuing to work hard to tackle antisemitism. Last month, the team received a report that a Sukkah had been damaged outside the Jewish Life Centre in Borehamwood.

We quickly identified the suspects – two boys aged 10 and 12 - via CCTV and they were located and stopped.

One boy made admissions to police and is now being dealt with through an out-of-court resolution. The other boy is due to be interviewed. An offer to pay for the damage has been received.

We’ll continue to provide you with updates on how we are tackling antisemitism and protecting the Jewish community. Remember, please don’t hesitate to speak to our officers when you see us on patrol.

If you wish to talk to our Community Protection Team officers, you can email us at cpt@herts.police.uk. However, please do not report crime to us here - for any emergency incidents, please call 999. Any non-emergency incidents can be reported via 101 or online at herts.police.uk/report.