Churches face crimewave with optimism and openness

Two churches in Nottinghamshire have said they will continue to serve the community after a new survey highlighted crime in and around places of worship.

The county saw 344 crimes recorded on church property from the start of 2022 until the end of 2024.

Of these 190 were thefts, 105 were criminal damage and 49 were violent incidents.

But a vicar and church warden at two of the affected churches said they were determined to keep their doors open.

The survey was carried out by the Countryside Alliance, which submitted a Freedom of Information request to all 45 UK police forces.

The number of recorded crimes put Nottinghamshire among the 10 worst affected areas, the group said.

In February this year, vandals broke into Grade I listed St Mary and St Martin's in Blyth, one of the oldest examples of Norman architecture in the country.

Intruders got in by smashing a stained-glass window, then dropped stones on a 13th Century effigy of a knight, scrawled graffiti on the walls and overturned furniture and book cases.

Church warden Graham Robinson said the attack was particularly frustrating as the building was undergoing thousands of pounds of renovation work.

"We care for the church, we look after it, we are very pleased to be the custodians," he said.

"To have someone come along and kick a window in and smash the place up and damage the place as they go out and leave us with a mess, it is disgusting."

"Once the window has been repaired we could put mesh on the outside but the total cost of that, for the six great windows, would be £20,000.

"We are going to have to work on that, over the years, as money comes in."

But a silver lining came in the form of a local electrical company offering security lights and cameras.

Meanwhile 25 local residents, along with schoolchildren, volunteered to clean up and left the church looking "better than ever", said Mr Robinson.

"We will take precautions but we are here for everyone, for as often as they need us," he added.

St Leodegarius, in Basford was one of three churches targeted over two nights in 2023.

Its vicar, Lydia Corbett, rejected the idea of heavy security as "a church shouldn't look like a prison".

"There is only so much you can do in terms of security in listed buildings because you have to keep the fabric of the building," she said.

"But the main thing, in all honesty, is to keep our churches open and busy and usable, and people being around and them being hubs for the community.

"And that is the biggest deterrent, with people coming and going and making sure they don't look like isolated spaces."

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, from the Countryside Alliance said: "These figures bring into stark relief the devastating fact that many churches and places of worship are being treated as easy targets by criminals.

"These are supposed to be places of refuge and tranquillity, where people go to worship or seek solace - but all too often they are being subjected to heinous crimes, either in or on their property.

A Historic England report in 2024 said church lead thefts surged by 41% during the Covid lockdowns but decreased by 26.2% in 2023.

A Church of England spokeswoman cautioned the figures related to crime on church property and grounds, and not necessarily directly related to the building itself.

She 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".

Claire Walker, chief executive of the National Churches Trust, a charity which seeks to keep churches open and secure, said: "The research is unfortunately no surprise.

"Churches sadly bear an additional burden after any attack as repair costs fall squarely on the shoulders of the congregation and local people to pay for.

"A new roof after a lead theft can set a church back tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds, depending on the damage and can take many years to fundraise for."

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.

"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. "

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