Church security is a growing concern amongst church members and staff. A large gathering of many people is always a potential target for perpetrators of attacks, especially if the perpetrators have a relationship with the church or one of its members. As such, it is important that church leaders take the initiative to tighten church security, for their own safety and that of the members and workers. Below are a few tips to help secure your church.
- Come up with a church security plan
- Before coming up with a church security plan, every stakeholder in the church must agree that tightening church security is a priority. After the concerned parties have agreed on this, the church leadership/elders, with the assistance of law enforcement officers and security advisors can sit down and draft a plan.
- Develop a church security team
- It is impossible to tighten church security without a competent and dedicated team on the ground. Take advantage of church members who have experience in security matters and public safety, and ask them to lead or assist with developing a security team.
- Volunteers should also be encouraged to join this team, as long as they are trained, and receive regular refresher courses on maintaining church security.
- Educate the members of the church
- Once the security plan is in place, the members of the church should be educated on what it entails, and what their responsibility is. The members should also be asked if they want to volunteer to be part of the security team, and be taught how to keep their ears and eyes open.
- Install a surveillance system
- The next step in tightening church security should involve the installation of a video surveillance system inside and outside the church. With this system in place, the security team can monitor activities within the church compound, and identify potential threats before anything happens.
- Control hours of operation
- Controlling hours of opening and closing is one of the best ways to tighten church security. Having designated hours of operation will discourage anyone who wants to try sneak in when he or she thinks nobody is watching, like at night, or on days when there are no church activities.
- Lockdown procedures
- Every church should have a plan of action in case of fire, shooting, explosions, or other incidents. The church security team should also determine the best lockdown approach to use in case there is an incident, with the aim of protecting the church members and securing the premises.
- Emergency response training
- In the event that an unfortunate incident occurs, there should be an emergency response team ready to secure the premises, care for the injured, and call the police. Everyone in the church security team must therefore receive regular training on emergency response procedures.
- Test the security systems regularly
- Does the fire alarm work? How long do the emergency responders take to get to where they are needed? How efficient are the lockdown procedures? The best way to answer these questions is to test the systems regularly, using fire and lockdown drills, for example.
- Control access points
- Every church has some areas that not everybody should access. Incidentally, most perpetrators use these rooms to their advantage when carrying out an attack. The church security team must therefore limit access to these areas, by using keyed or swipe card locks, and doors that lock automatically. The children’s area should also have limited access.
- Get law enforcers to review the security plan and systems
- The best people to advise on how to tighten church security are law enforcers, because they know how criminals think. Get a law enforcement official to come in periodically to have a look at the security system and make recommendations.
Just to recap – it is very important to tighten church security, for the sake of all who use the church premises. Lastly, pray for the security of the church, so that people feel safe to worship within the church premises.