An average of ten crimes are committed at churches each day in the UK, police data has revealed.
Theft, vandalism and violence made up the majority of the nearly 4,000 offences recorded on church property and other places of worship in the UK last year.
The true figure could be higher, as not all police forces responded to Freedom of Information requests sent by the Countryside Alliance.
It is a rise from the average of eight crimes a day recorded between 2022 and 2024.
Burglaries and thefts accounted for more than a quarter of crimes, totalling 1,619. There were 1,018 incidents of criminal damage, 1,000 cases of violence and 172 other offences recorded.
Earlier this year, £250,000 worth of historic silverware was stolen from St Margaret of Antioch Church in Barley, Hertfordshire, in what was described as a “sacrilege” theft.
Criminals targeted St Mary and St Martin in Blyth, Nottinghamshire, by kicking in its stained glass window and scrawling graffiti inside.
Vandals targeted gravestones outside St James Church near Preston before Easter last year, in what police have treated as a hate crime.
Ben Sims, head of policy and public affairs for the National Churches Trust, told Premier Christian News that the figures are “really concerning” at a time when churches are facing financial pressures, including the scrapping of VAT relief on listed places of worship.
“Imagine you’re one of the volunteers,” Sims said, “the idea of violent crime going on at the place you love and you’re caring for. You come and discover that all of the gravestones have been smashed, all the windows have been smashed. Or inside, the pews have been broken up. It's a really demoralising, quite scary thing to happen, especially because these are places of worship, and it's a place where you're going to volunteer.”
Sims described rising crime and costs as a “huge crisis for the country”, with some churches vulnerable to closure if volunteers cannot keep up. He told Premier that some donors have withdrawn funding from church repair projects after finding out it would be taxed.
An estimated 21,000 churches, around half of the total number in the country, were eligible for the now-closed Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. It allowed congregations in listed buildings to claim money back for the VAT on essential repairs and renovations.
A new £92 million Places of Worship Renewal Fund, which is due to be opened in the next few weeks, has been welcomed by the National Churches Trust. But it maintains that tax relief is still needed, which is still available for free-to-enter museums.
“[Churches] are essentially museums of all this fantastic art, publicly accessible, free to enter. We don't think they should pay VAT, especially on money, fundraised by volunteers,” Sims added.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, described churches as “focal points for local communities, particularly in rural towns and villages where they play a crucial role in combating isolation.” He has urged communities to stay vigilant, and called for more financial support.
The Conservatives and Reform UK have pledged to restore the VAT exemption.
Ed Davey, Liberal Democrat leader, has said: “It’s scandalous that our churches and places of worship have become a playground for criminals”. He has called for “proper community policing […] to protect sacred spaces.”
Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Nolan, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for heritage crime, said: “Stealing from, or damaging any places of worship, historic buildings and cultural sites is abhorrent.
“We are committed to tackling this issue and our heritage crime officers across the country will continue to work with partners to reduce offending and raise awareness about the long-lasting damage heritage crime can have. We ask everyone to report anything suspicious online, via 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers, and have some great Heritage Watch schemes across the country people can join.”
A government spokesperson described the Places of Worship Renewal Fund as bringing “these important buildings into line with other heritage assets” with the same access to funding.