For the fourth time since the Easter holiday, thieves have preyed on the St Peter Parish Church, this time making off with several relics.
St. Peter’s parish church in Speightstown.
Frustrated rector Father Peter Haynes confirmed that bandits broke into the Speightstown church last night.
“Our major loss would have been our tabernacle which has reserved sacraments kept in a ciborium. The ciborium would have had some cost to it and the tabernacles were made of metal,” he told Barbados TODAY.
The Anglican cleric said the church had since upgraded its security and was exploring the possibility of installing cameras.
“We’ve been trying to secure the church by locking down windows, replacing doors and other options that we will move to probably . . .”
Haynes, who revealed that thieves had recently been targeting churches in the north, suggested that the criminal activity was linked to the prevailing tough economic conditions.
“I think things are getting tougher; the handouts are not there. The medication that was there for people who may suffer mental diseases might not be readily available, and . . . things which Government might have provided are not there so they are looking elsewhere,” he said.
Today, Public Relations Officer for the Royal Barbados Police Force, Acting Assistant Superintendent David Welch confirmed that a series of break-ins had occurred at churches in the north of the island and urged church authorities to take the necessary precautions.
“We advised them to look at their security and to secure their valuable items. What we can do is offer the assistance of the Crime Prevention Office for consultation about securing property. They can choose to implement the property marking programme by the Crime Prevention Office. Things from within the church can be marked for protection purposes by the Crime Prevention Office,” he said.