We very much hope you’ll never suffer a misfortune like a break-in or a lightning strike. But if you need urgently to carry out work to your church building to remove a threat to public safety or to make it secure, then it’s possible to grant an interim faculty to allow that to happen straight away. Contact the Care of Churches team to explain what has happened and for further advice.
If you’ve been the victim of a crime such as vandalism or theft, it’s essential to report it to the police. If a crime is in progress, call 999. If the criminals have left the scene, call 101 (the non-emergency number) or fill out a report on-line . Make sure that you ask the police to class the incident as a heritage crime and to bring it to the attention of the Rural Task Force. That’s because Kent Police needs intelligence to monitor threats to historic places and there are longer sentencing tariffs for heritage crimes in the event of a conviction.
One of the biggest threats to historic churches is the theft of lead roofing materials. You can find detailed guidance on the subject here, which tells you what to do if it happens and how to reduce the threat.