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Guidance: Places of Worship (POW): Protective Security Funding Scheme

Home Office

July 14
11:41 2022

Overview of the scheme

The Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme provides funding for places of worship and associated faith community centres that are vulnerable to hate crime. This scheme is intended to reduce:

  • the risk of a hate crime happening at a place of worship and associated faith community centre
  • the impact of hate crime on the place of worship itself (the building) and people attending the place of worship

Through the scheme, vulnerable places of worship can apply for protective security measures, such as CCTV, secure fencing, and intruder alarms to be installed at their site for free.

You can apply for the installation of up to 3 protective security measures at your place of worship or associated faith community centre. The application process is open from 19 May 2022 until 28 July 2022. We cannot consider any applications received after this date.

The scheme covers the costs of equipment and installation of all security measures agreed for your place of worship. This includes any maintenance costs for one year from the installation date (such as for CCTV systems or for Monitored Intruder Alarm Systems).

However the government cannot fund any additional costs that might result from measures being installed, such as the cost of applying for planning permission or any preparatory work needed (for example clearing the grounds).

This year, Muslim faith communities will also be able to apply for funding for some security guarding services, where security guarding staff will be visible at the entrance of their place of worship. These guarding services will be available later in the year, when we will provide further information to interested Muslim communities. (see 3. Muslim community below)

Esotec Limited will continue to manage the scheme on behalf of the Home Office and will be the main point of contact for places of worship to discuss the agreed security measures for their particular site. Esotec Limited will also arrange for the eventual installation of security measures at places of worship who have been successfully awarded funding through the scheme.

All measures under the scheme must be completed and delivered by 31 March 2023.

Eligibility

The scheme is open to all faiths, except the Jewish community. This is because a separate funding scheme is available to provide security measures at certain Jewish faith institutions.

You should apply to the Places of Worship funding scheme if you have experienced hate crime at your place of worship, or if you feel that your place of worship is vulnerable to hate crime - for example if hate crime has happened at other sites in your community, or to people attending your place of worship. The application must be made on behalf of your place of worship and/or associated faith community centre. The scheme is only open to places of worship in England and Wales.

The types of places of worship that can apply under the scheme include (but are not limited to):

  • churches
  • gurdwaras
  • mosques
  • temples
  • associated faith community centres (for example, a community centre where regular worship takes place that is near a place of worship and run by that place of worship)

The Places of Worship Protective Security Funding scheme cannot accept applications for the following:

  • living accommodation
  • educational facilities (faith schools and other educational institutions are not eligible. As announced there is a separate scheme for Muslim Faith Schools in 2022/23)
  • NHS establishments including chapels and prayer rooms
  • other buildings that are owned by the place of worship or faith community but not used for regular worship (for example cafes, education centres, youth centres etc). Where these structures exist within the place of worship or on the same site, only the protection of the actual place of worship can be covered by the scheme

If your place of worship has received funding through the scheme in 2020-21 or 2021-22 you may still apply. However, funding for places of worship who have received funding in the last two 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. This is to ensure that as many places of worship as possible are able to access funding for protective security measures. We encourage mosques who have received funding through the scheme in the last two years to apply for guarding services if security guarding would be benefit their site and attending worshippers.

Muslim community

This financial year (2022/2023) mosques and associated faith community centres can also apply for some security guarding services, where they feel security guards will improve the safety of their site and those worshipping there.

The provision of a guarding service will only be available at Muslim places of worship. Interested Muslim communities will be able to apply for both guarding services and physical security measures (CCTV, fencing etc as outlined above).

If you are interested in applying for security guarding services at your mosque, please indicate this on your application form. Indicating an interest on the form does not mean a formal commitment.

Please note that guarding services will not be available until later in the year. We will provide further information to those sites who indicate an interest in guarding services over the next few months

Charity status

Places of worship and associated faith community centres are normally charitable and required by law to register as charities if their income from all sources is over 5,000 a year. Some churches are currently excepted from registration.

If you are lawfully exempt, you will be required as part of your application to include a written confirmation of your exemption and the justification for your exemption. You must upload this written confirmation to the application portal on your organisations letter headed paper.

If you are not registered as a charity and are not exempt, you will need to register with the Charity Commission before applying to the scheme.

If you would like advice and support on completing the application to register as a charity, are unsure about whether you need to register, or have any other queries about registering as a charity, please contact, faithoutreach@charitycommission.gov.uk.

What the scheme covers

If your application is successful, the scheme will fund equipment and installations costs for up to three security measures. The types of security measures available are listed below, but you do not need to decide which measures you would like to apply for now. If your application is successful, a survey of your place of worship site will be carried out (see section 8). During this site survey, Esotec Limited will discuss with you the most appropriate measures for your particular site based on the recommendations made to them by the police DOCO:

  • CCTV (fixed cameras, not pan-tilt cameras)
  • Secure fencing and/or railings (no more than 2.1m high)
  • manually operated pedestrian and vehicle gates
  • Door hardening, locks and mail box / mail bag
  • reinforcing glazed windows (with anti-shatter film or bars/grilles only)
  • intruder alarms including integrated smoke/heat detection
  • door entry access control (fob or keypad)
  • video intercom systems
  • lighting (building mounted)

The scheme cannot be used to fund:

  • planning permission
  • general building improvements
  • standard security upgrades (e.g. should measures installed under this scheme become outdated after a number of years)
  • measures to tackle anti-social behaviour, lead theft, or other criminality unconnected with hate crime
  • security personnel/guarding unless this is at a Muslim place of worship

Submitting an application

In order to submit a valid application, you will need to show that:

  • hate crimes or hate incidents have happened at your place of worship, or
  • hate crime has happened in your local area and you think there is a high chance that your place of worship could be targeted itself

You will need to provide evidence that the community at your place of worship is vulnerable to the kind of hate crime that targets people because of their religion and race.

Any crime can be classed as a hate crime if the offender has demonstrated, or been motivated by, hostility based on:

  • race
  • religion
  • disability
  • sexual orientation
  • transgender identity

This scheme focuses on hate crimes motivated by religion and race.

Please provide a detailed description of all hate crimes and incidents that your place or worship has experienced. If

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