Churches: Metal Theft

The Right Hon. Member for Meriden, Representing the Church Commissioners Was Asked – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 12 July 2018.

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Photo of Chris Davies Chris Davies Conservative, Brecon and Radnorshire 12:00, 12 July 2018

To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what advice is being made available to churches to better protect their buildings against metal theft.

Photo of Caroline Spelman Caroline Spelman The Second Church Estates Commissioner, The Second Church Estates Commissioner

Since I last answered a question on this subject in April the largest concentration of reported attacks on churches for metal theft has been in Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. While we are starting to see small numbers of people being prosecuted for these crimes, the value of the thefts is considerable and the cost of replacement and repair is high.

Photo of Chris Davies Chris Davies Conservative, Brecon and Radnorshire

Can my right hon. Friend confirm what partners the Church of England is working with to tackle metal thefts across its parishes?

Photo of Caroline Spelman Caroline Spelman The Second Church Estates Commissioner, The Second Church Estates Commissioner

The Church cannot do this on its own, and it works very closely with Historic England, the police and its insurers alongside the Home Office in order to provide advice and guidance to its parishes. All dioceses now advise their churches to install deterrents such as alarms and cameras. I am pleased to say that the Church in Wales similarly endorsed Historic England’s metal theft guidance.