The Countryside Alliance’s latest investigation has revealed that in 2025 nearly 4,000 crimes were committed on church property as well as other religious premises.

Figures were obtained by the Countryside Alliance as part of its continuous campaign to focus attention on rural churches and increase funding for security at places of worship.

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests were made to all of the UK’s 45 territorial police forces. At the time of writing, 44 police forces had responded to our requests, with 37 of them providing us with figures.

The figures show that there were 3,637 records of theft, burglary, criminal damage, vandalism and assault from January 1 to December 31 2025. An additional 172 crimes of different categories brings the total recorded crimes to 3,809.

This means that, on average, more than ten crimes took place at churches and places of worship every single day last year. The true figure will likely be even higher, given that a number of police forces refused to provide data for recorded crimes at churches in their areas.

58 lead and metal thefts were recorded, along with 1,561 other thefts and burglaries (total thefts and burglaries 1,619), 1,018 incidents of criminal damage, vandalism and arson, and 1000 cases of violence.

The worst-hit areas were London, with 531 crimes recorded by the Metropolitan Police (and an additional 30 by City of London Police), followed by West Yorkshire (with 445 recorded crimes) and Greater Manchester (with 172 recorded crimes).

Last year, thieves targeted St Margaret of Antioch Church in Barley, Hertfordshire, stealing £25,000 worth of historic silverware including chalices, a communion flagon and a communion plate.

In February, at St Mary and St Martin, Blyth, Nottinghamshire, criminals kicked in a historic stained glass window to break into the church - costing thousands of pounds to replace. They did not stop there, also overturning furniture, scrawling graffiti inside the building and damaging the altar cross.

And, just ahead of Easter last year, vandals hit St James Church in Leyland, near Preston, daubing the church and nearly 40 gravestones with graffiti in an act the police are treating as a "hate crime". Graffiti claiming "God is a lie" was scrawled over the church building.

Mo Metcalf-Fisher, Director of External Affairs at the Countryside Alliance, stated:

“Across the country, churches and places of worship continue to suffer, as vandals, thieves and other criminals treat them as easy targets.

"We cannot allow this to continue. Churches and places of worship are focal points for local communities, particularly in rural towns and villages where they play a crucial role in combatting isolation. It is vital that the public keep a watchful eye and report any issues to the police.

"At the same time as it appears crime is going up, funding is going down. The government has this year imposed VAT on church repairs, increasing costs for hard-pressed and vulnerable churches while at the same time refusing to increase funding in line with inflation. It is vital that the government drastically increases funding for churches, so that we can keep these hugely important community assets open and in use."

Ben Sims, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the National Churches Trust, commented:

“The National Churches Trust welcomes this new report by the Countryside Alliance, which shows that a shocking ten crimes a day were committed at UK churches last year. If volunteers are not supported, and if funding is not easily accessible, this is just one of many sad outcomes.

"Already this year the government has imposed VAT on 21,000 historic places of worship. By further demoralising volunteers, and causing chaos for ongoing restoration projects, this leads to churches becoming more vulnerable. We should be helping those who wish to safeguard our national heritage, not making their lives more difficult.”

Data obtained by the Countryside Alliance over the past eight years has revealed a total of 43,853 crimes recorded since 2017, with 17,338 thefts, 12,430 cases of criminal damage and arson, and 5,696 cases of violence.

The Countryside Alliance has urged the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity in and around churches and places of worship to the police.

The campaign group has called on the Government to drastically increase funding for churches and places of worship. Earlier this year, the UK Government confirmed the end of Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, replacing it with a four-year-fund called the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.

Not only is the new funding a drop in real terms, but, crucially, all repairs and maintenance that take place at any listed place of worship will now be subject to the full VAT costs at 20%; a massive additional burden on churches, many of which are already struggling with costs.