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National ChurchWatch
In 1999 an organisation was
set up in the UK called National Church Watch. This is part funded by
Ecclesiastical Insurance. The Church Watch is a response to the appalling levels
of crime occurring in the UK's religious buildings.
To give you a feel, the
1999 statistics list about 60,000 religious buildings. There were
11,164 reported incidents of crime. That is a one in five chance of a
crime happening in any one year.
Church Watch has been
piloted in three areas and the system has been able to reduce crime
levels by 50% in one year in those locations. The Church Watch system
can apply to buildings and people of any faith.
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Crime Statistics
The 1999 reported
figures breakdown as follows:
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Violence |
291 |
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Theft/burglary |
5,915 |
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Criminal damage |
4,214 |
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Fire (69% is arson) |
200 |
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Other |
284 |
As you can see security
is a massive problem in such establishments. And more recent
statistics show the same picture..
The Merseyside Police
have produced some excellent literature and a video which you may
be interested in (free of charge): Just email us at Euronova
requesting either:
1.Church security risk analysis questionnaire
2. Fire risk
assessment checklist
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Risk Assessment
Most churchwardens do not
appreciate the value of their church's contents but here are some
typical antique values (source Trace Magazine):
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A lectern |
£1,000 to £2,000 |
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Bible |
Upto £2,500 |
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A chalice |
From £500 to £10,000 |
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Communion service |
£5,000 |
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Oak chest |
£4,000 |
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Tabernacle |
£4,000 |
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Candle sticks |
£500 or more |
Anything that you suspect
might be of value (over £1000) should be photographed and the photos
stored off the premises. It is probably worth getting them expertly
valued -
Ecclesiastical Insurance can help here - they also recommend appropriate security
measures.
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Euronova products have
been tested and positively reviewed by Church Watch and are generally aimed
at protecting valuable artefacts from theft especially during
daylight hours and a practical night time alarm system.
Euronova alarms include the
CrimeAlert
alarm, which can be used to protect
furniture and paintings and the
HouseSitter alarm
and monitoring system (just £4.99 a week). |
Valuables should be secured in someway, in a safe or a
locked, alarmed room. It is a good idea to attach alarms to items on
display in the church, especially candlesticks, the eagle lecterns
(which have a good market in the USA), paintings, Oak chests and the
bishop's chair.
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