We encourage all churches to be open during daylight hours so that they can continue to be a dedicated space for public worship and a focus for events and community activities.
By following these guidelines it should be possible for the church to remain open for the use and enjoyment of all:
Places of worship such as Churches and Mosques should act a place for worship and be the focus for event involving the whole community, available to everyone. Unfortunately not everyone respects the sanctity of a place of worship, and criminals will target these place for a number of reasons.
A few simple guidelines will help places of worship, avoid being subject to crime:
- Ask members of the public, living nearby, to keep an eye out for any suspicious activities around a place of worship.
- Although many may wish to keep a place of worship open during daylight hours, make sure churches are locked at night when no one is present.
- Precious metal such as gold and silver should be locked away in a safe. If there is room, other metal object, such as those made of bronze or pewter should also be locked away in a safe. If there is no room in a safe, items should be locked away in a secure area of the building.
- Items that can be used as domestic in a domestic, such as coffin stools, may be particularly venerable. If they can’t be locked away, it may be advisable to chain items to the floor. It may not stop a theft, but could deter a more casual burglary.
METAL THEFTS
Due the huge demand from China, the prices of metal has risen to a new high and metal is now more valuable to criminals now than ever. This includes lead, cooper and other metal found on roofs, guttering and lightning conductors.
Although thieves who take the metal will sell it at a fraction of its actual price, the damage to a building could be significant. Thieves have been known to tear holes in roofs, and cause damage to stonework and masonry.
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
Vigilance is often the key to avoiding metal thefts from churches. Involve the local community and ask for help in keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity. If they see workmen at the location at unusual times (6pm to 8am), it may be that they are there to steal metal.
- Avoid giving thieves easy access to any part of the building. Remove ladders and put them in a secure place. This is especially is important if scaffolding is present. Also consider removing scalable objects, such as water butts and cutting back trees which could be a security risk. Using anti-climb paint can also deter criminals. Clear warning must be present, and it can’t be used at a height below 2 metres.
- If the local authority allows, consider installing security lighting especially in places that are venerable.
- Maximise surveillance area but cutting back bushes and trees, which may hide criminal activity. Permission from a local authority may be required.
- Keep criminals from easily transporting stolen good, by locking gates and limiting vehicle access.
- Consider theft alarms and CCTV surveillance.
- Use Smartwater.
Visit http://www.churchalert.co.uk/ for further metal theft crime reduction advice.
SMARTWATER
‘Smartwater’ is used as a security marking product marking product which forensically links thieves to crime scenes is being successfully used to combat the theft of metals. ‘Smartwater’ can be used on external elements of a building without degradation, or causing damage to what ever it is applied to.
Putting up signs informing that ‘Smartwater’ is present often acts as a deterrent to thieves.
For further details please visit the ‘Smartwater’ website at www.smartwater.com.