MORE than 9000 crimes committed on church property and other religious premises were recorded between January 2022 and December 2024, the Countryside Alliance reports.
The data gathered by the campaign group was obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to all of the UK’s territorial police forces. Thirty-three of 45 police forces provided figures.
The 9148 records of crimes reported include theft, burglary, criminal damage, vandalism, arson, and assault. The Countryside Alliance estimates that, “on average, at least eight crimes took place at churches every single day over the three-year period.”
The report says that “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.”
It goes on to say: “Some forces do not log ‘church’ as a building type specifically, and may instead log location as ‘religious building’. For the avoidance of doubt, I would like data related to religious buildings in this instance.”
In the data provided by the campaign group, Bedfordshire Police responded in full to the FOI request: 185 crimes had been recorded at churches and mosques in the county. Of these, 171 were at churches and the other 14 were at mosques.
The report also says that the West Midlands Police responded in full, but “offered the caveat that some of these crimes may not have happened at a church, but could be from incidents where a church was the nearest identifiable landmark, and so was noted as such in their database”.
The director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, Mo Metcalf-Fisher, said in a statement: “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: “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.”
The report refers to several incidents, including the theft of a brass eagle from a Victorian lectern at St Augustine’s, Edgbaston, last June (News 21 June 2024); and £90,000-worth of items were stolen, and damage inflicted, during an overnight break-in at Sherborne Abbey, in August (News 16 August 2024).
The National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for heritage crime, Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Nolan, 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.”
The Alliance’s report says that data obtained over the past seven years suggests a total of 39,544 crimes recorded since 2017, with 15,506 thefts, 11,253 cases of criminal damage and arson, and 4568 cases of violence.
The group 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”.
Additionally, it is “pushing for the development of a new aggravated offence relating to the loss or damage of heritage assets”.