New church security and personal safety guidance is being made available to churches this month.
The guidance is being distributed through safety seminars being run by church insurer Ecclesiastical.
It suggests ways churches can respond if there is an incident and practical advice on how to keep their buildings secure.
Churches are encouraged to open during daylight hours and provide training on crime prevention.
The personal safety guidance cautions clergy not to increase the risk
to themselves if they come face to face with someone behaving
inappropriately in church.
John Coates, Corporate Client Channel Director at Ecclesiastical,
said: “Ecclesiastical has been working with churches for over 125 years
and has built up extensive knowledge of our church customers, the issues
that affect them and their needs in that time. We know that safety and security concerns both for church buildings
as well as the individuals working in our churches have increased over
the years. The best way to address these concerns and reduce risks for those
working in our churches is to give the people who work in churches as
much support, advice and guidance as possible."
To find out more about running a church security or personal
safety seminar, contact your local Insurance Consultant and Surveyor
(IC&S).
You can find contact details for your local IC&S by entering your postcode at www.ecclesiastical.com/churchmatters