Specialist Police Support for MPs Facing Increased Threats
Police forces across the UK are being offered specialist assistance through a newly established national democracy protection unit aimed at addressing the growing number of threats and abuse directed at Members of Parliament (MPs).
Chris Balmer, a police chief, has been appointed to lead this new initiative, which is designed to aid police forces in investigating and combating "anti-democratic crimes."
Since 2019, reports of crimes against MPs have more than doubled, reaching nearly 1,000 incidents last year. This increase has been largely driven by allegations involving harassment, criminal damage, and death threats.
MPs have informed the BBC that death threats have become commonplace, with many incidents remaining unreported to the police.
Last month, Security Minister Dan Jarvis stated:
"The volume, breadth and tempo of threats against elected representatives is unprecedented."
He announced Balmer's appointment as the national police lead for defending democracy and mentioned that he had written to the senior officer to stress "the importance of keeping pace with the evolving threat that abuse poses."
In his capacity, Balmer will coordinate intelligence related to threats against politicians, advise police forces on how to categorize anti-democratic crimes, and provide specialist support to officers investigating alleged perpetrators.
Data released to the BBC shows that MPs reported 4,064 crimes to the Metropolitan Police's Parliamentary Liaison Team between 2019 and 2025.
These figures, initially reported by the Times, reveal a consistent year-on-year increase in alleged offences against MPs, with 976 recorded in 2025 compared to 364 in 2019.
The most common offences were related to malicious communications, totaling 2,066 over the six-year period, followed by harassment and criminal damage to buildings.
In 2025, there were 50 reported death threats, up from 31 the previous year.
Reported offences involving physical violence varied but remained comparatively low. The number of alleged assaults peaked at 14 in 2024, a general election year, before decreasing to three in 2025.
The data does not specify how many of these alleged offences resulted in prosecutions or convictions.
Impact on Family and Security Measures
Security protocols for MPs have been enhanced following the murders of Jo Cox in 2016 and Sir David Amess in 2021.
Operation Bridger, launched in 2016, is a national police program that provides MPs with additional security for their homes and constituency offices.
In the 2017/18 period, £4.2 million was allocated to MPs' security, marking a 60% increase compared to the previous year. Although security expenditures have fluctuated since then, they have remained elevated relative to pre-2016 levels.
Despite these measures, MPs have called on the police and the UK government to implement further protections.
Labour MP Sam Rushworth enhanced security at his residence by installing panic buttons and cameras after receiving repeated death threats from an obsessed constituent.
Beginning in 2024, Benjamin Clarke subjected Rushworth to online abuse before threatening to set fire to the Bishop Auckland MP's home with him inside.
Clarke was sentenced to one and a half years in prison in May of the previous year and died in custody a few months later.
Rushworth described the significant impact on his family:
"My wife asked me if we could move," Rushworth said. "My kids asked me if I could change job."
He attributed the hostility to a combination of politicians "spouting fake news," mainstream media, and social media, which he said were "driving a level of hatred towards Labour MPs in particular that I have never in my life seen before."
Another Labour MP, Natalie Fleet, reported receiving death threats daily.
She noted that her family was reluctant for her to become an MP due to the anticipated volume of abuse and threats.
One particular threat appeared in a social media post calling for the Bolsover MP to "be shot."
The post was shared by Simon Evans, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council, who later apologized for reposting the message and stated he "did not notice" the offensive content.
The issue was raised during Prime Minister's Questions, after which Fleet reported an increase in the frequency and graphic nature of death threats, prompting her to contact the police.
"I've never had as much contact with the police as I have in this job," Fleet said. "You've got to spend time giving witness statements and making sure that you're safe, and all you want to do is be out there with your constituents."
Democracy Protection Portfolio and Ongoing Concerns
The Democracy Protection Portfolio, led by Balmer, operates within the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), which unites leaders from police forces across the UK.
This unit was established following an inquiry into the security of MPs, election candidates, and the electoral process.
The inquiry's survey revealed that 96% of MPs had personally experienced one or more incidents involving threatening behavior or communications.
Balmer told the BBC that there is a "clearly a spread of both online and offline targeting."
"We know, unfortunately, that female candidates and candidates from ethnic minorities within the UK are also disproportionately targeted. So that is an area of concern."
He expressed particular concern about the "volume" of abuse and threats directed at these groups.
"But it's not lost on me that these are not idle threats," Balmer said.
He referenced two recent cases where threats were tragically carried out.
