image for illustration: Joanna Theobald
The Countryside Alliance’s latest investigation has revealed that from 2022 to 2024 over 9,000 crimes have been committed on church property as well as other religious premises.
The Countryside Alliance writes:
Figures were obtained by the Countryside Alliance as part of its continuous campaign to focus attention on rural churches and increase funding for security at places of worship. Freedom of Information (FOI) requests were made to all of the UK’s 45 territorial police forces. At the time of writing, 43 police forces had responded to our requests, with 33 of them providing us with figures. The figures show that there were 9,148 records of theft, burglary, criminal damage, vandalism and assault from January 2022 to December 2024. This means that, on average, at least eight crimes took place at churches every single day over the three-year period.
179 lead and metal thefts were recorded, along with 3,758 other thefts and burglaries, 3,237 incidents of criminal damage, vandalism and arson, and 1,974 cases of violence. The worst-hit areas were West Yorkshire, with 1,121 crimes recorded, followed by Kent (with 655 recorded crimes) and Greater Manchester (with 642 recorded crimes). In Edgbaston, in June last year, a brazen thief strolled into a church at 11am one Monday morning, before stealing a priceless 140-year old bronze eagle lectern. In August, an overnight break-in at Sherborne Abbey saw £90,000 worth of silver items stolen by thieves. And in Hartlepool, three teenagers were charged with arson having set ablaze the Grade II listed Wesley Chapel.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, Director of External Affairs at the Countryside Alliance, said: ‘Horrific attacks on churches and places of worship continue to happen all across the country. Thieves and criminals treat them as easy targets, brazenly stealing from and causing criminal damage to these focal points of our communities. Churches and places of worship are the beating heart of many rural towns and villages. They are meant to be places of sanctity, solace, and refuge. Increasingly, however, they seem to be being subjected to awful acts of crime on a regular basis. We cannot allow these cherished places to continue to be unprotected against the machinations of criminals – it is vital that the public keep a watchful eye and report any issues to the police.’
A Church of England spokeswoman said: ‘Our churches play such a crucial role in providing spiritual, pastoral and practical support to their local communities, helped by our wonderful volunteers. A crime committed at a church is a real setback, not just for its congregation, but for all those who benefit from its presence in their community’.
Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Nolan, National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Heritage Crime said: ‘Stealing from, or damaging any places of worship, historic buildings and cultural sites is abhorrent. Churches are important to many communities across the country and these crimes directly impact people who visit, worship and enjoy those spaces. They are attacks on our national and local heritage, and can cause irreplaceable damage. We are committed to tackling this issue and our heritage crime officers across the country will continue to work with partners to reduce offending and raise awareness about the long-lasting damage heritage crime can have. We ask everyone to report anything suspicious online, via 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers, and have some great Heritage Watch schemes across the country people can join. ‘
Data obtained by the Countryside Alliance over the past seven years has revealed a total of 39,544 crimes recorded since 2017, with 15,506 thefts, 11,253 cases of criminal damage and arson, and 4,568 cases of violence. The Countryside Alliance has called on the Government to extend and guarantee future funding and promotion of the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme, provided free of charge by the Home Office to protect places of worship and associated community centres in England and Wales. The campaign group has also urged the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity in and around churches and places of worship to the police. In 2023, two lead-thieves were sentenced to ten years in prison, having caused £1.25 million worth of damage to 40 churches over a seven-month period. After they were released on bail, the thieves fled the country but were arrested on European Arrest Warrants and were extradited.
Crimes in West Yorkshire churches and religious buildings included nearly 100 incidents of stalking and harassment, a case of drug trafficking, and 11 incidents of rape, as well as other sexual offences. One incident in Hertfordshire last July, at St Mary’s Church in Baldock, saw several gravestones smashed or completely destroyed, while the church rector stated that ‘all the windows and doors’ of the church hall had been broken. And in Kent, three masked men broke into St Augustine’s Abbey in Ramsgate in July 2023, causing £1,000 of damage, ransacking rooms and demanding money, as well as kicking and punching one man on the floor and pinning a priest in his bed.
