New church security and personal safety guidance is being made available to churches this month.
The guidance is being distributed through safety seminars being run by church insurer Ecclesiastical.
It suggests ways churches can respond if there is an incident and practical advice on how to keep their buildings secure.
Churches are encouraged to open during daylight hours and provide training on crime prevention.
The personal safety guidance cautions clergy not to increase the risk to themselves if they come face to face with someone behaving inappropriately in church.
John Coates, Corporate Client Channel Director at Ecclesiastical, said: "Ecclesiastical has been working with churches for over 125 years and has built up extensive knowledge of our church customers, the issues that affect them and their needs in that time.
"We know that safety and security concerns both for church buildings as well as the individuals working in our churches have increased over the years.
"The best way to address these concerns and reduce risks for those working in our churches is to give the people who work in churches as much support, advice and guidance as possible."
To find out more about running a church security or personal safety seminar, contact your local Insurance Consultant and Surveyor (IC&S). You can find contact details for your local IC&S by
entering your postcode at www.ecclesiastical.com/churchmatters
