The Home Office has recently opened this year’s edition of the Places of Worship (POW) protective security funding scheme – a government commitment in the hate crime action plan.
The scheme provides funding for protective security measures to places of worship and associated faith community centres that are vulnerable to hate crime. Potential improvements can involve new CCTV, lighting, fencing, gates, doors, locks, alarms and others. However this is likely to be over-subscribed because it is a nationwide budget, so we would advise early and thoughtful work.
You can submit a bid for funding for up to three protective security measures until 23:59 on 9 August 2020. Tower Hamlets Council fund a Designing Out Crime officer to support our places of worship who can assist with your funding bid.
The maximum government funding available to any place of worship or associated faith community centre is £56,000. You will be required to contribute 20% of the total cost of the security measures.
This year, in order to bid for the funding, evidence of vulnerability to hate crime that targets people because of their religion needs to be collected before completing an online application form. Once the vulnerability is successfully demonstrated, the security contractor Esotec Limited along with a local Designing Out Crime Officer will arrange a quotation assessment appointment with you to make recommendations.
More information on the scheme and the application process can be found here.