Community Assets and Religious Buildings: Security

(asked on 13th November 2023) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department has taken to provide additional resources to police forces to support target hardening measures at (a) community spaces and (b) places of worship.


Answered by
Tom Tugendhat Portrait
Tom Tugendhat
Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
This question was answered on 16th November 2023

This Government is committed to making our streets and communities safer.

On 31 January, the Government confirmed a total police funding settlement of up to £17.2 billion in 2023/24, an increase of up to £313.8 million when compared to 2022/23. As part of this, funding for Counter Terrorism Policing was set at over £1 billion and covers a range of activity, including in relation to protective security.

In addition, the Police and Crime Commissioners have been allocated £42 million through the latest fifth round of the Safer Streets Fund to support interventions that will make our streets safer. This includes funding for target hardening measures in public spaces – such as CCTV, street lighting and alley-gating – as well as improved home security measures for properties at risk of (repeat) burglary.

There are also freely available resources to local forces, along with local authorities and businesses, through the ProtectUK platform and from the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA).

On top of this police funding, the Home Office is providing up to £46 million to protect faith communities in 2023/24. This includes £18 million through the Jewish Community Protective Security Grant, £24.5 million through the new Protective Security for Mosques scheme and a scheme for Muslim faith schools, and £3.5 million for the places of worship of other (non-Muslim and non-Jewish) faiths.

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