Child abuse in Charedi world rife, says Orthodox policeman
Victims approach me because they have confidence
A SENIOR Jewish policeman who has deep connections to Manchester’s Charedi community has told the JC that child sex crimes and domestic abuse are “rife” within the Orthodox world.
Special Constabulary Inspector Moshe Rothstein of Greater Manchester Police, who is Orthodox himself, said he had special insight into the grim reality of abuse in the Charedi communities because victims have contacted him when they may otherwise have refused to speak to police.
He said: “Victims do approach me because they have a confidence in me as one of their own.
“There are definitely cases where young people or women have come to me to ask how to deal with the situation because they don’t want to approach the police directly. These are instances that normally would never have been reported and therefore dealt with.”
Speaking at the first national gathering of the Jewish Police Association (JPA) held in Leeds last month, Inspector Rothstein added that the local force calls upon him for advice on situations involving the Jewish community.
He said: “It’s happened many times.
For example, there was a situation where a teenager had died at home in tragic circumstances, it was reported two hours before Shabbat.
“The detective inspector asked me for advice on how to be sensitive in the circumstances. I could also explain to him that he should not be suspicious if the family didn’t appear to be grieving as we don’t grieve on Shabbat.
“I later heard from the community, who didn’t know of my involvement, how respectful the officer had been throughout. It makes a difference.”
Speakers at the JPA gathering — which hosted Jewish police officers and staff from eight different forces — emphasised the need to recruit more Jews to the police force, adding that Jewish victims of crime feel more comfortable if attended to by a Jewish police officer.
The event was organised by Superintendent Richard Padwell of West Yorkshire Police, who told a story of a Jewish police officer working in a remote area of Wales.
He said: “There was a group of 300 people from Chabad who were in the area on a camping trip who became targets of a hate crime.”
Supt Padwell told the audience: “They went to the police station with some trepidation but were met by this police officer wearing a Star of David and knew they would be understood.”