Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of (a) theft, (b) theft of lead roofing and (c) criminal damage from (i) churches, (ii) mosques, (iii) synagogues, (iv) Hindu temples, (v) Sikh temples and (vi) other places of worship were recorded by each police force in England in 2014.

The Home Office does not hold this data. The police record offences of thefts and criminal damage and supply this information to the Home Office. The police however do not supply details on buildings involved in instances of theft and criminal damage.

Our Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 implemented on 1 October 2013 is tightening the net around rogue dealers who flout the rules and wilfully purchase stolen metal through the introduction of a robust licensing scheme that supports legitimate businesses. We have also increased the financial penalties, banned cash payments for scrap metal and undertaken targeted enforcement through the National Metal Theft Taskforce. Alongside these initiatives, we have seen substantial falls in metal theft.