WILTSHIRE Police is urging church wardens and caretakers to be vigilant following a spate of lead thefts from church roofs in Wiltshire, including Bratton’s St James the Great Church.
Overnight between the 8th and 9th September a large quantity of lead was stolen from the Bratton church. Wiltshire Police say, “This amount of lead would have required a large truck/lorry and several persons to move. Did you see or hear anything suspicious on the night, or leading up to the theft?
“If you can provide any help towards this investigation please call 101, or use the online reporting system on Wiltshire Police website. Contact can also be made through Crime stoppers. Please quote reference 54190089177.”
Other thefts have taken place across Wiltshire, including Malmesbury Abbey and Salisbury Cathedral.
PC Helen Daveridge, community co-ordinator for Warminster and Westbury said, “We will be carrying out extra patrols around churches, and we have ongoing investigations into the crimes which have been reported to us.
“However, we’d also like to offer some crime prevention advice.
“We are urging church caretakers and wardens to check their buildings more regularly and more carefully to ensure crimes are detected and reported to police quickly.
“We would also advise people to make sure their existing security measures are working effectively. For example, if you have CCTV cameras, please make sure they are operating well, have a good sight of key parts of the site and that camera lenses are clean and free from obstruction.
“Anyone who wishes to report a crime, or who has information about this spate of lead thefts, should call Wiltshire Police on 101, or report it online via our website: www.wiltshire.police. uk/Report_a_crime.”
