Applications for Places of Worship security fund open

The Home Office has announced that the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme, now in its 5th year, has opened for applications, with £3.2 million offered to improve security at places of worship.

The Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme enables places of worship such as churches, mosques, gurdwaras, temples and associated faith community centres to receive government funding to improve physical security, whether that be more secure gates, locks, alarms or CCTV, in order to deter and prevent hate crime attacks.

Since its introduction more than 180 grants have been awarded helping 76 churches,75 mosques, 23 gurdwaras and nine Hindu temples.

Minister for Countering Extremism, Baroness Williams said: “During this global pandemic, personal faith has been a source of comfort and strength for many. I would urge all places of worship who feel they are vulnerable to hate crime to apply for the fund, and as a government we will do all we can to make your congregations feel safe and protected.”

In addition to the Places of Worship Scheme, the Home Office opened a consultation on 15 March to review what else can be done to protect faith institutions, while ensuring a balance is struck between worshipping openly without fear and providing adequate security measures to protect worshippers. The consultation closes on 28 June, and its findings will be published in due course.