Officers have arrested a man in connection with threatening behaviour towards an MP in north-west London.
On Thursday, 1 February we received a report from the office of Mike Freer MP to report that he had an abusive and threatening phone call the previous day.
An investigation was launched and a 46-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday, 6 February on suspicion of malicious communication.
He remains in custody at a north London police station.
The arrest follows a separate investigation into an arson attack at the same MP’s office in Finchley on 24 December 2023.
A man and a woman have been remanded in custody after being charged with arson with intent to endanger life.
Our investigation established the offence was not a hate crime and the two incidents are not believed to be linked.
Detective Superintendent Will Lexton-Jones, from the local policing team in north-west London, said: “It is vitally important for elected officials and their staff they can be confident in their safety and security, and we are committed to ensuring this.
“Today’s arrest sends a clear message we will not tolerate threats or aggression of any kind towards elected officials. We will deal quickly and robustly with such offences.
“We are in regular contact with MPs and other elected officials and fully recognise the growing concerns they are telling us about their safety, and as you would expect, we have kept Mr Freer MP updated throughout this investigation including today’s arrest.”
Further information on our work to protect MPs
The Met is linked regularly in with Operation Bridger – the national policing operation that coordinates protective security advice and support for MPs across the UK. We have been working with them to address wider concerns regarding the safety and security of elected officials.
Officers from across the Operation Bridger network, together with colleagues from Members’ Security Support Service in Parliament, have been signposting security advice and support to MPs and staff in their region. Regional personal security briefings providing practical advice are also being held for MPs and other locally elected officials across the country.
Where particular concerns are identified, security arrangements are reviewed, adapted and strengthened as appropriate. We continue to review the support we provide to MPs and their staff to ensure we have the right measures in place to keep them safe.
Year-round, the Met works closely with Parliamentary authorities on issues relating to the security of MPs and security arrangements for individual MPs are kept under continual review. This is done by the Parliamentary authorities, Government, the Met’s Parliamentary Liaison and Investigation Team and local officers from the national Operation Bridger network.
Any MPs who continue to have general concerns about their security can contact their local Operation Bridger officer. Should any MPs or their staff have any immediate concerns about their safety then they should contact their local police force straight away or call 999.