Thieves have targeted religious buildings in Kirklees 132 times in the last three years.

Building materials, art and personal belongings costing thousands of pounds have all been mercilessly swiped from churches and other places of worship since 2012, according to details revealed in a Freedom of Information request.

Thefts of building materials were by far the most common thefts recorded by West Yorkshire Police, followed by ‘personal accessories’, cash, TVS and computers and travel passes.

A bicycle and chemicals were amongst the more uncommon items to have been stolen, along with a piece of art and musical instruments.

Religious buildings in Huddersfield had the most thefts (46), followed by those in Dewsbury (30), Batley and Spen (28), then those in rural locations (19), while the location of another nine was unknown.

While thefts in 2013 dropped to 27 from 54 in 2012, the number rose again last year with 37 cases and 14 had already been recorded by April this year.

Some of the most high-profile thefts include lead taken from St Paul’s Church in Eastthorpe, Mirfield, and Christ Church in Linthwaite and St Mary’s Parish Church, Mirfield, where thousands of pounds worth of historical stone slabs were alslo stolen.

The thefts have led to Libby Walker, Kirklees Crime Reduction Officer, to urge communities to be ‘vigilant’.

She said: “Any faith building is a part of the local community and any associated theft or crime does not just affect those at the place of worship but affects those living and working nearby.

“A large proportion of metal, lead and stone thefts are from faith buildings and we work in partnership with religious leaders and people that live near to these buildings in an attempt to reduce this type of crime, particularly in encouraging people to report any suspicious activity.

“Often, these types of crime take place early in a morning or late in to the evening. If you see someone acting suspiciously, working on a roof or pulling up stones then please stop and think - does this look right? If not make a note of the registration of the vehicle they are with and report it to us.

“We would also remind people that when they are in a public place, such as a place of worship, they should be mindful of their personal valuables and not leave them unattended.”

Anyone who has any information or who sees anything suspicious should contact their local Neighbourhood Policing Team on 101.”

A church leader said that clergy have slept ‘on the roofs of their churches’ to try prevent thefts.

That is one of the desperate resorts taken to try stop crimes taking place at places of worship, according to Kirkheaton rector Richard Steel.

Richard, who has been at Kirkheaton Parish Church for 10 years, said that many clergy in the area did not know how to realistically prevent thefts from their buildings, which in some cases have left them ‘uninsurable’ and close to closure due to the amounts cost to repair the damage.

He made the comments following a Freedom of Information request by Huddersfield Examiner which revealed that 132 thefts had taken place in religious buildings in the last three years.

Richard said that his church alone had experienced several thefts, including three Yorkshire stone thefts and two lead thefts.

Stone and lead thefts are not uncommon on churches in Kirklees and can cost thousands to repair.

He said: “It’s just so sad and you feel so helpless - many clergies are at a loss as to what to do. Thefts are a massive drain on the finances and resources of churches which leave the whole congregation demoralised.

“It can lead to the end of a church in some situations if they cannot afford to repair the damage.

“It’s not just the cost of the stolen items that churches have to deal with– many thefts involve mess and damage to the buildings which add an extra burden on church finances – for example, the stealing of a small amount of lead can cause thousands of pounds of damage.

“I’ve even known churches become uninsurable after several thefts take place there.”

Mr Steel said church communities are yet to find a good way to prevent thefts from continuing.

He said: “Most thefts take place at night and I have known clergy to sleep on their roofs of their churches to try stop them– it can get to that stage. We have church members checking on buildings but it’s very hard to keep that up. Alarms are available to put inside buildings but cost so much that churches can’t always justify the cost.

“And we don’t want to close up our churches because we want they and the grounds to be open access so they can be enjoyed by people – sometimes there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

“All we can ask for is people to be vigilant and we hope changes in scrapyard legislation and the use of Smart Water track down stolen goods.

“But none of this will stop something being stolen in the first place and the damage being done.”

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