CHRISTIANNEWS.COM. – Some 49 churches in England and Wales have received £1.6m of Home Office funding to strengthen the security of religious buildings against religious attacks.
Funding, under the security scheme for the protection of places of worship, has been given to 49 sites, including 27 mosques, 13 churches, five gurdwaras and four Hindu temples this year, Premier reported.
Consultations aimed at religious groups are also consolidated to provide feedback on what mechanisms or tools should be put in place to protect themselves from attacks.
Religious freedom
For her part, Susan Frances Maria Williams, Baroness Williams of Trafford, a junior minister in the UK government, commented that “no one should be afraid to practice their faith.”
“Whether it is a church, a mosque, gurdwaras or a temple, any place of worship should be a space for reflection and safety. The scheme of places of worship provides that physical security. However, we can always do more, so we want to hear from the faithful on how we can best protect them from these terrible attacks.”
The new security plans include the installation of CCTV, fencing, gates, alarms and lighting to places of worship vulnerable to hate crime.
The £1.6 million divided among the 49 religious communities, is the largest amount awarded in a single year since the scheme was established in 2016.
A total of £3.2m has been earmarked for the scheme in 2020/21.
In a new streamlined system for applicants, a central contractor installs enhanced physical security such as locks, lighting and CCTV.
hate crimes
Police in England and Wales recorded 103,379 hate crimes in 2018/19, an increase of 10% on the previous year.
A spokesperson for the Home Office noted of the increase that “this is largely due to improvements in police registration and as more victims feel able to come forward and report these crimes.”
The new consultation, which will run for two months, will ask religious groups what else needs to be done to help them feel safe and secure.
The results will be analyzed and considered as part of future steps on how the government can protect religious groups.
Jewish communities receive support from a separate fund, the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant.
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