UPDATE: |Hundreds of crimes committed at churches across Greater Manchester every year News

‘We cannot allow these precious places to go unguarded and be so exposed’

Hundreds of crimes are being committed at churches across Greater Manchester every year, new data has revealed.

Some 642 crimes have been recorded at churches in Greater Manchester between 2022 and 2024, according to the data obtained by the Countryside Alliance. This includes 334 reported thefts, 212 reported cases of criminal damage and 95 reported cases of violence.

This makes Greater Manchester the third worst-affected area in the country, with only West Yorkshire and Kent being hit harder.

Among the crimes recorded by Greater Manchester Police during this period was an incident in October 2023 when an 84-year-old woman was followed into a Our Lady of Grace Church in Prestwich and had an envelope containing £500 snatched from her handbag.

Last year, St Luke’s Church on Swinton Park Road in Irlams o’th Height, Salford had several large religious statues stolen, including a huge Jesus on the crucifix that was believed to be around 100 years old, a kneeling angel and kneeling figure of St Bernadette.

Just last week, a 7kg charity Easter egg, set to be a raffle prize to raise money, was stolen from United Reform Church in Heaton Moor.

The thief is believed to have snuck in, taking advantage of a narrow ‘window of opportunity’, while a local choir group was rehearsing.

Churches across Greater Manchester have also been hit by suspected arson attacks in recent years with The Church of the Ascension in Salford, a world heritage site, and the derelict St Thomas Church in Leigh suffering from large blazes in 2017 and 2020 respectively.

The latest figures covering the period from the start of 2022 to the end of 2024 were obtained through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by the Countryside Alliance as it calls for increased funding for security at places of worship, focusing on rural churches.

Nationally, 179 lead thefts were recorded among 3,937 thefts in total, with 3,237 incidents of vandalism and criminal damage – including arson – and 1,974 incidents of violence, including sexual assault and assault on an officer, recorded across the UK from 2022 to 2024.

In addition, 228 other crimes were recorded, including drug trafficking and crimes against society. This means that, on average, at least eight crimes took place at churches every single day over the three-year period.

Of the 43 police forces that responded to the FOI requests, only 33 provided the figures. The organisation’s annual report into crimes on churches and religious buildings has revealed a total of 39,544 incidents between 2017 and 2024.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, Director of External Affairs at the Countryside Alliance, said: “These figures bring into stark relief the devastating fact that many churches and places of worship are being treated as easy targets by criminals.

“These are supposed to be places of refuge and tranquillity, where people go to worship or seek solace – but all too often they are being subjected to heinous crimes, either in or on their property.

“It is particularly saddening to see that Greater Manchester is the one of the worst-affected regions in the entire country.

“We cannot allow these precious places, which are often the centre of villages and towns across the country, to go unguarded and be so exposed.

“Easy access to protective funding schemes is of the greatest importance, but it is just as vital that members of the public keep an ever-watchful eye on churches and report suspicious behaviour to police.

“It is also our hope that there will be further progress on the development of a new aggravated offence relating to the loss or damage of heritage assets, a move some Parliamentarians have already supported.

“Irrespective of faith or none, churches are more than just community buildings, they are often part of our centuries-old history and heritage. They must be protected”.