Crimes involving churches or church property 2022 - 2024

28th January 2025

Our Ref: FOI2024/09064

Request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 Ref No: FOI2024/09064   

I write in connection with your request for information received on 30th December.  I note you seek access to the following information:

I would like to ask about crimes recorded by Police at churches or on church property under the Freedom of Information Act:

1.     How many crimes have been recorded by your force involving theft from/at churches or from/at church property from January 1 2022- December 30 2024?
 
a)    If possible please could you clarify how many of the thefts recorded relate to lead being taken from the church roof?
 
2.     How many crimes have been recorded by your force involving assault (physical/violent) at churches or on church property from January 1 2022- December 30 2024?

3.     How many crimes have been recorded of vandalism by your force on churches or on church property from January 1 2022- December 30 2024?
 
Note: Some forces do not log 'church' as a building type specifically and may instead log location as religious building. For the avoidance of doubt, I would like data related to religious buildings in this instance.

I am required by the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (The Act) to handle all requests in a manner that is blind to the identity of the requestor. Any information released in response to a request is regarded as being published and therefore, in the public domain without caveat.

Response - Following enquiries with Cambridgeshire Constabulary please see our response below.

1. 

1a. One theft offence in 2022 had the keyword for metal infrastructure

2.

3.  

The numerical data presented in this response is an un-audited snapshot of un-published data sourced from "live" systems and is subject to the interpretation of the original request by the individual extracting the data.