Places Of Worship Urged To Up Security In Wake Of Attacks

23 April 2019, 09:00 | Updated: 23 April 2019, 09:20

Police officers outside Finsbury Park Mosque in London. Picture: PA

As the death toll from the deadly attacks in Sri Lanka reaches 310 senior police officers in the UK have urged places of worship to up their security.

The move follows a series of coordinated attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday which saw bombs in churches and hotels kill 310 people.

The UK's Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing said that officers regularly engage with faith communities, giving advice on how people and places can protect themselves and this work will continue.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon went on to urge places of worship to carry out an online training package called ‘ACT Awareness eLearning’ which gives advice on Protective Security and how to react in the event of an attack.

Funding for the security of religious premises was upped following the Christchurch attacks, where 50 people were killed in a shooting in a New Zealand mosque.

The attack saw police presence stepped up at mosques across the UK to reassure communities fearful of similar attacks.

Launched in 2016, the places of worship security fund helps churches, mosques, temples and gurdwaras in England and Wales to install alarms, security lighting, fencing and CCTV cameras to deter attackers.