THE most crime-hit religious buildings in the Bradford district, including churches and mosques, can be revealed today by the Telegraph & Argus.

And the revelations have led religious leaders in Bradford to condemn those who desecrate places of worship by committing crimes there.

Building materials, including lead and machinery, and electrical items, including TVs and radios, are jointly the most commonly stolen items stolen over the last four years, according to West Yorkshire Police figures obtained by the T&A using the Freedom of Information Act.

The next most commonly stolen items are personal accessories, cash, and bank or credit cards.

But there have also been two instances of safes being stolen, two thefts of bullion, one theft of a bus or coach, four thefts of musical instruments, and nine thefts of photographic equipment.

The total number of items stolen from Bradford district churches was 143 in 2012/13; 116 in 2013/14; 148 in 2014/15 and 106 between April 1, 2015 and December 31, last year.

The statistics also show that in 2012/13 five people were charged with thefts from religious buildings in the district, in 2013/14 there were also five people charged, and in 2014/15 eight people were charged.

Bradford Cathedral is among 16 churches, mosques and Salvation Army Hall, St Margaret's Avenue, Holme Wood, Bradford, which have suffered at least three offences of theft between April 2012 and December 2015.

The Dean of Bradford the Very Reverend Jerry Lepine said the Cathedral had been the target for lead thefts.

Earlier this month drug addict Jaroslav Kurtnova was jailed for 18 months for causing £2,000 of damage to the Cathedral by stealing lead from the roof.

Kurtnova, 29, of Harrogate Street, Undercliffe, Bradford, was caught on CCTV fleeing after triggering a burglar alarm as he was cutting and rolling up a substantial quantity of lead flashing at 3.15am on July 24 last year.

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The Dean said: "It's the last place on earth you would expect for people to behave like this.

"They are holy places that have been prayed in for centuries, including Bradford Cathedral.

"Everyone who is victim to a theft feels violated.

"It's always got a huge nuisance value. It does damage to the inside of the building, especially with wet weather through leaks.

"The cost is more than replacing the lead.

"It's very, very sad that this kind of thing happens in places of worship.

"There is a burden. It's an insurance issue that is true for all places of worship, that have an open door policy."

Mosques have also been targeted by thieves, with the Madni Jamia Masjid Mosque in Thornbury Road, Thornbury, Bradford; the Doha Mosque in Claremont, Great Horton Road, Great Horton, Bradford, and Madrasah Nur Qur'an in Parkside Road, West Bowling, Bradford, among those on the police's list of locations targeted by thieves over the last four years.

Ishtiaq Ahmed, of Bradford Council for Mosques, said: "It's a desecration of these places.

"Places of worship are being targeted by thieves. Members of the public have to foot the bill.

"Any form of theft is absolutely unacceptable but it's very sad that some people, a small minority, resort to theft and damage people's property.

"Security is an issue because people can walk into these public places and it's very difficult to manage and control who goes in and who does not."

St Joseph's RC Church in Pakington Street, Bradford, has also been targeted by thieves.

Canon James Callaghan, dean for the city of Bradford Catholic Priests, also said lead was a popular item for thieves to steal from the district's churches.

His church, Our Lady Of Lourdes & St William`s Church in Ingleby Road, Lidget Green, Bradford, was targeted by thieves in 2013, when the diocese had to foot a £10,000 repair bill after lead was taken from its roof.

Canon Callaghan said: "It's irritating when it happens but we have got to put it into perspective.

"It is not an everyday occurrence."

Great Horton Methodist Church, Great Horton Road and Thornbury Methodist Church, Leeds Old Road, Thornbury, also appeared on the police's list of targeted churches.

The Reverend Lyn Gregg, a member of the Bradford South Methodist Church Circuit, said: "It's very disappointing for anybody to be a victim of crime.

"I think it's a shame that people think they can violate anybody by stealing from them."

The other religious buildings most commonly affected by thefts were.

  • The Abundant Life Centre in Wapping Road, Wapping, Bradford;
  • St Andrew's Church in Church Street, Keighley;
  • St Peter's Church, Moorhead Lane, Moorhead, Shipley; 
  • St Paul's Church in Kirkgate, Shipley;
  • St Stephen's Church, in St Stephen's Road, Steeton with Eastburn;
  • St Barnabas Church in Ashwell Road, Heaton, Bradford, and, 
  • St Paul's Church in St Paul's Road, Manningham.