Fighting fit

Crime fighting has become a new skill within the conservation team...

Every year we experience a small number of break-ins and attacks of vandalism, for example graffiti, but by far our biggest threat is theft.

Unfortunately we suffer from our share of anti-social behaviour, but we are tackling the problem in a number of ways.

 

Vulnerable victims

There are some things in and on our churches that are targeted more frequently than others. We have tried to make these 'offerings' less attractive, but the fight is still not won:

• Wallsafes - put into churches to collect donations from visitors. Thieves assume they contain large amounts of money; however, we always make sure that these are emptied regularly and they rarely contain much cash
• Church furnishings - tempting for both the opportunistic and hardened thief, but all our furniture, fixtures and objects have been treated with SmartWater, making stolen objects traceable
• Lead sheeting, flashings and copper lightning conductor tapes - the cost of replacing stolen or fixing damaged metal is considerable

Action, not reaction

Metal theft is a continuing problem and we are trying to fight it. Often, a relatively small crime can become a big financial wound because of the damage caused by trying to remove it.

However, instead of reacting to crime, we are acting towards preventing it in a number of ways.

Our actions:

• Carrying out a security audit of the site, which can inspire simple, but effective initiatives such as: cutting back overgrown bushes and trees, re-locating things that allow easy roof access, painting downpipes with anti-climb paint, locking access gates to stop unauthorised vehicles in (lead sheet is heavy)
• Applying SmartWater to all our lead roof sheets so it can be traced
• Installing security lighting and alarm systems that trigger a call out from a security firm
• Letting the locals know that there is a threat and ask them to keep an eye on the church – our contractors will only visit inside working hours (7.00am - 5.00pm) – so someone with a ladder outside these hours is probably up to no good!
• Joining a local police or church network – the aim of this is to alert neighbouring properties when there has been a theft in the area
• Trialling the use of LedLok, which requires listed building consent, on one of our churches in Northamptonshire - if this works, we could use it for other churches
• Replacing stolen lead with an alternative material (which requires listed building consent). This is a last resort as lead is a traditional roof cover for historic churches, is of historic interest and is part of the character of the building

Crimewatch

If you think that someone is 'up to no good' at any of our churches, please get in touch with your local CCT contact. If you do not know who that is, or if it is after hours, please telephone the local police.

Police forces throughout England are aware of the threat to historic churches.

We are also a founding member of Alliance to Reduce Crime against Heritage (ARCH). ARCH is a new national voluntary network aiming to reduce the amount of crime that causes damage to or interferes with the enjoyment of heritage assets in England. To find out more, click on the link above or see 'further reading'.