A minister has spoken out against a recent spate of church break-ins in the Bournemouth area.
George Duncan, minster of Winton Baptist Church, described a recent break-in at his church as “sad” and “frustrating”.
The incident is part of a series of break-ins that have happened in churches in the Bournemouth area over the last few months. Generally, the thieves target two things – the church’s safe and lead from the roof.
The thieves pulled the safe from its housing and overturned it, before using special metal cutters to remove its back.
Minister George Duncan said: “They were obviously after cash. A hand-held projector was taken which we use from time to time in the hall. We also have a computer that they tried to take out but they decided not to go with that.
“There was a lot of mess, and it’s frustrating from our point of view, because when it comes to Sunday worship we do everything by computer. It took us a while to get that up and running again. We’ve also had to replace the locks.
“It’s sad that folks should target a church. I suppose in some ways, it’s an easy target, because the church is not in use for 12 hours a day.”
The thieves used a set of keys to gain access to the church, which they left behind after them.
Local police are investigating the incident, and anyone with information is urged to contact Dorset Police on 101 in the Dorset area.
