Guidance

Protective security schemes for places of worship

How to apply for security to protect your place of worship against hate crime.

From:
Home Office
Published
26 July 2016
Last updated
9 August 2024 — See all updates

Rapid protective security for places of worship

How to request rapid protective security for your place of worship

To request rapid protective security for your place of worship, complete the online request form.

In response to recent public disorder, the Home Office has introduced a rapid protective security response for places of worship at risk of imminent violent disorder or in the immediate aftermath of such an incident.

What this means in practice

The Home Office will pass requests onto its security partner, who will deploy security personnel to sites at high risk as soon as possible. They will try to contact you to arrange this.

Security personnel services will be provided to your place of worship for an initial period of up to four weeks while your site remains at risk of disorder.

Rapid protective security is provided to places of worship free of charge by the Home Office.

This offer is available to places of worship throughout the UK.

Who is eligible

To be eligible, your site must be:

  • a place of worship (a building where people gather to worship together, such as a church, temple, gurdwara or mosque)

  • located in an area targeted by protests or violent disorder, or likely to be targeted soon

You can still apply for rapid protective security if you have applied to the following schemes in the past:

  • The Protective Security for Places of Worship Scheme

  • The Protective Security for Mosques Scheme

The rapid protective security offer does not apply to synagogues. Protective security, including guarding, is already offered to synagogues through the separate Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, which is managed by the Community Security Trust.

Other protective security for faith communities

The Jewish Community Protective Security (JCPS) Grant provides protective security measures, such as security personnel services, CCTV and alarm systems, at synagogues, Jewish educational establishments and community sites in the UK. The JCPS Grant is managed on behalf of the Home Office by the Community Security Trust.

The Protective Security for Mosques Scheme provides protective security measures (such as security personnel services, CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing) to mosques and associated Muslim faith community centres in the UK. Protective security measures are also available to Muslim faith schools.

The Places of Worship Protective Security Scheme provides physical protective security measures, such as CCTV, intruder alarms and secure perimeter fencing, to places of worship and associated faith community centres of all other (non-Muslim and non-Jewish) faiths that are particularly vulnerable to religiously or racially motivated hate crime in England and Wales.

The Home Office is currently prioritising rapid protective security for places of worship at risk of violent disorder. Further details on our other schemes, including application windows, will be published here when available.

Data protection

To find out more about how we process and protect your information, and your rights in relation to this, see the privacy information notice).

Updates to this page

Published 26 July 2016
Last updated 9 August 2024 + show all updates

  1. Updated the guidance with new information about rapid protective security for places of worship.

  2. Guidance updated as the application process for the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme remains open.

  3. Availability of the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme expanded to Scotland and Northern Ireland and deadline extended to 18 February 2024.

  4. Deadline for the Protective Security for Mosque scheme extended to 31 December 2023.

  5. The deadline for apply for the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme has been extended to 26 November.

  6. The deadline for applications has been extended to 5 September 2023.

  7. Added translation

  8. Added translation

  9. Added Welsh translation.

  10. Updated the scheme information, including guidance for Muslim communities and timescale.

  11. Amendment of closing date from 14 July to 28 July 2022.

  12. Replaced 'privacy information notice' document with link to accessible version.

  13. Updated guidance.

  14. Amendment of closing date from 2 July to 16 July 2021.

  15. Updated email under Contact Us.

  16. Added contact details for Strengthening Faith Institutions, for if you require any assistance with submitting your application.

  17. Updated places of worship scheme guidance.

  18. Updated privacy information notice (PIN).

  19. Details updated for the 2020 scheme including the Privacy Information Notice.

  20. Bids open for 2019 fund.

  21. Bids open for 2018 fund.

  22. Bidding open for 2017 funding.

  23. Application deadline extended to 4 October 2016.

  24. Updated guidance and bid form published.

  25. First published.

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