Successful applicants in England and Wales will receive
up to £56,000 towards improved security to counter the
threat from hate crimes at their premises. Previous
funding has been awarded when places of worship have
been either victim to, or at risk of, a hate attack,
including graffiti, the defacing of religious symbols
or attacks on worshippers.
The Places of Worship Security Funding scheme, which
launched in 2016 and is worth £2.4 million in total,
has helped 89 churches, mosques, temples and gurdwaras
to install protective alarms, security lighting and
CCTV cameras to deter attackers. Synagogues are covered
under a separate scheme administered by the Community
Security Trust.
Minister for Countering Extremism, Baroness Williams
said:
Communities being able to worship their religion free
from intimidation, violence or abusive behaviour is a
vital principle at the heart of the values we share
in this country.
This scheme has already helped many places of worship
bolster their security and we encourage those who
have suffered from or fear hate crime attacks to
apply.
Prime Minister, said:
We are a country of many faiths, and as I said
following last year’s appalling terror attack in
Finsbury Park an attack on one community is an attack
on all of us.
Freedom of worship, respect, and tolerance for those
of different faiths is fundamental to our values and
I am determined to stamp out extremism and hate crime
wherever it occurs.
Security at places of worship is important to provide
congregations with peace of mind, but let me be clear
– where groups or individuals incite hatred or are
engaged in vile, religiously motivated criminal
activity, they should expect to be prosecuted and
face the full force of the law.
Hate crimes in this instance are defined as any crimes
committed against a person because of their real or
perceived religion.
The scheme is a key commitment of the Government Hate
Crime Action Plan which sees the Home Office, the
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
and other government departments working together to
prevent hate crime, support victims and prosecute the
perpetrators.
The United Kingdom has in place one of the strongest
legislative frameworks in the world to protect
communities from hostility, violence and bigotry, and
we keep it under constant review to ensure that it
remains effective and appropriate in the face of new
and emerging threats.
We are also working with communities to ensure people
know how to report any hate incidents and where to get
support, and have taken steps to increase reporting of
hate crime, ensuring the police now record hate crimes
by the religion of the victim.
The criteria for this year’s bids has been made more
flexible – bidders will need to provide evidence that
they are either vulnerable to hate crime or have been
subject to a hate crime within the last 2 years.
Bidding for the Places of
Worship Security Fund will open on 8 June
2018.
