Guidance: Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme (updated)

Published 13 February 2025

Last updated 27 October 2025 — See all updates

1. What the scheme is
2. Who can apply
3. What the scheme covers
4. How to apply
5. Application guidance
6. Things to consider
7. Data protection

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What the scheme is

The Home Office is offering funded security measures (like CCTV, alarms, and secure doors) to places of worship and faith community centres in England and Wales that are at risk of hate crime. The scheme covers installation and one year of maintenance.

You must apply between 27 October 2025 and 8 December 2025.  Late applications will not be accepted.

To apply, submit an application using the Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme application form.

Who can apply

You can apply to the scheme if you are a:

• church
• gurdwara
• temple
• faith community centre (linked to a place of worship and host regular, active worship)
• other place of worship

You will also need to be a registered charity (or exempt from registering as a charity).

You should apply if either:

• your place of worship has experienced hate crime
• you believe it's at risk of hate crime - for example, similar places nearby have been targeted

You are not eligible if you are:

• homes or living spaces
• schools or educational buildings
• NHS buildings (like hospital chapels)
• cafes, youth centres, or other buildings not used for regular worship
• Jewish and Muslim places of worship or community centres

Jewish and Muslim places of worship or community centres can receive measures through different schemes, for more information, please read the guidance on protective security for faith communities.

If your place of worship has previously received protective security measures through the Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme, you may still apply.

However, protective security measures for places of worship that have received measures in the last 2 years will be at the discretion of the Home Office and will only be awarded where there is very strong evidence of an ongoing vulnerability to hate crime.

What the scheme covers

If your application is successful, you may receive:

• CCTV
• secure fencing or gates
• stronger doors and locks
• window protection
• intruder alarms
• entry systems (keypad, fob, intercom)
• external lighting
• secure mailboxes

What is not covered:

• planning permission fees
• general building work
• upgrades for outdated systems
• issues unrelated to hate crime (for example, anti-social behaviour)

How to apply

You should only complete one application for your place of worship or associated faith community centre in each round of the scheme.

If your place of worship and associated faith community centre are on the same site, you only need to complete one application form.

You will need to provide details about your site including:

• the name and address of your place of worship or community centre
• the registered charity number of your organisation, or a letter confirming your organisation's exemption from registering as a charity
• the contact details of a responsible person who will be your site's point of contact
• a summary of any security concerns or hate crime experienced at your place of worship or community centre, and the impact these have on the people who use it

You can save your application form and come back to it later.

You'll need to show:

• evidence of hate crime or risk - for example, police reports, photos or news articles
• how hate crime has affected your community - for example, fear or reduced attendance)

You will need to provide evidence that the community at your place of worship is vulnerable to racial and or faith-based hate crime.

Include details about how these incidents have affected worshippers in your community, such as:

• how did they make people feel?
• did people stop attending worship or other events at the site?

You may also provide supporting evidence with your application form. This could be photographs of damage or graffiti at your place of worship, police crime reports, or local newspaper reports. You can upload a maximum of 10 files of evidence in support of your application.

Application guidance

To improve your chances of success, your application should:

• clearly explain why your place of worship and its community are at risk of hate crime (incident)
• provide detailed evidence of any hate crime incidents - for example, photos of graffiti or police reports (evidence)
• describe how these incidents have affected your community - for example, fear or reduced attendance (impact)

Applications that do not include strong evidence or do not explain the risk clearly are unlikely to be successful. Additionally, applications that detail anti-social behaviours without linking it to hate crime are also unlikely to be successful.

Successful application example

Place of worship: Church, Cardiff

Incident: In March 2024, offensive graffiti was sprayed on the front wall of the church. The graffiti included specific anti-Christian rhetoric.

Evidence provided:

• photos of the graffiti
• police report and crime reference number
• statement from a worshipper explaining they felt unsafe and stopped attending prayers

Impact: the incident caused distress in the community, especially among elders and children. Attendance dropped by 30% in the weeks following the incident.

Unsuccessful application example

Place of worship: Church, London

Incident: We feel unsafe due to general tensions in the area. We experience people throwing litter on our site.

Evidence provided: none.

Impact: not explained and no material consequences outlined.

Why it was unsuccessful: the application didn't include any specific incidents or evidence relating to hate crime, and they only listed anti-social behaviour as a concern. They also did not include an explanation of how the community is affected.