IN AN ideal world thieves would steer clear of churches and other places of worship.
Sadly this is not always the case and we even had a robbery at a Huddersfield church.
Last month a robber escaped with cash he grabbed from a collection plate at St Stephen’s Church in Rashcliffe after threatening worshippers with a knife.
Thankfully this kind of crime is highly unusual, but sadly places of worships can be targeted by vandals and thieves.
You are welcome to contact our force crime reduction officers who will carry out a risk assessment of the building and advise you how to tighten up security and develop a crime prevention strategy.
At every church or place of worship there should be one person who takes responsibility for security which could be an Imam, vicar or rector or even be delegated to an elder, verger, secretary, administrator or member of the congregation.
Try to look at the building through a burglar’s eyes. If you can spot a way in then so can they.
Then work out how to prevent it.
Follow the following crime prevention advice.
Never leave keys in locks.
Never hide keys on the premises.
Never leave internal secure areas or rooms unlocked even when the building is in use.
Ensure the police know the names and contact details for keyholders.
Establish procedures to make sure the building is locked and secure when the last person leaves.
Encourage all worshippers to be alert and observant. A minor act of vandalism or theft could be the forerunner to a more serious crime.
Try to ensure there is no combustible material lying around that an arsonist could use to start a fire and don’t let rubbish accumulate, inside or out.
Wheeled bins should be kept in their own locked compartment or well away from the building.
Ensure the walls and hedges are regularly maintained. If your boundary walls and hedges are kept to no more than 4ft high you will benefit from natural surveillance by local residents and passers-by.
Outbuildings should always be kept locked and any windows obscured to conceal what’s inside.
Anti-climb paint can be daubed on drainpipes. Barbed wire or other deterrents can be attached to prevent access to low level roofs or onto fire escapes. Barbed wire can only be attached to roofs which are more than 8ft above ground level and fix a warning sign there.
Windows can be protected by using laminated or toughened glass, polycarbonate sheeting or wire mesh grilles.
Exterior lighting is an excellent and relatively inexpensive deterrent. Electronic timers, photoelectric switches and automatic detectors are readily available.
Theft from collection boxes is the most common crime. Empty the box regularly and if possible install a metal wall box with flush fitting metal front.
Most valuable items can be marked using an ultraviolet pen or engraving. Write an inventory of anything of value and also take photographs of them which will help us to trace them if they are stolen. Put up signs stating that everything is security marked.
Create one internal secure area which is kept locked. This can be used for a safe and other valuable items. An alarm system for this one area could be relatively inexpensive.
