The new report on vandalism at our nation’s heritage sites is sadly no surprise (Vandalism on rise at historic English sites amid cost of living crisis – report, 13 March). For churches in particular, there is an extra burden as any repair costs fall squarely on the shoulders of the congregation. A new roof after a lead theft can set a church back tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds, depending on the damage.
The added danger to this report is that people will see locking up their churches as the solution to prevent vandalism. One of the best ways of preventing heritage crime at churches is to have them open during the day. Professional thieves can easily gain access to a locked church, whereas they will hesitate to enter an unlocked one, as they are very likely to be disturbed. Vandalism has been shown to reduce in both urban and rural areas when churches open their doors during the week.
Keeping churches open helps to engage the local community with the building. By far the biggest asset in keeping a church safe is the many eyes and ears of the local people. If a church is open and welcoming, local people will be alert to what is happening when they go past, or even pop inside to keep an eye on things.
Claire Walker
Chief executive, National Churches Trust
• Vandalism and architectural theft have nothing to do with the so-called cost of living crisis, aerosol spray paints and crow bars being relatively expensive. Thefts of materials from historical sites – sometimes known as spoliation– is a practice as old as the sites themselves: most of England’s stately homes were built with materials robbed from monasteries. That it appears to be increasing again is because video media has made criminality fashionable.
Michael Heaton
Warminster, Wiltshire
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