Bowers Gifford: Arrests after church damaged

Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage after a church was vandalised near Basildon.

We received reports of two suspects forcing entry to St Margaret’s Church in Bowers Gifford at about 1.10pm on Sunday 24 November.

Once inside the pair have reportedly caused more than £15,000 of damage to the building and its contents.

Officers were at the scene within 15 minutes of the report, including a dog unit with PD Obi, and quickly arrested two boys, aged 15 and 16, on suspicion of criminal damage and burglary.

Items believe to be stolen from the church were also located.

The two teenagers were questioned and released on police bail while our enquiries continue.

Adam Pipe, head of Roads Policing, said:

“This kind of reckless offending requires this kind of swift response.
“Our officers continue to investigate this incident and anyone with additional information should contact us.”

Quote incident number 728 of Sunday 24 November with any information.

Do you want to report non-emergency crime, anti-social behaviour or tell us about suspicious behaviour in your community?

You can report it online or use our Live Chat service.

Our Live Chat service is available on our website 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can send and receive real-time messages with an online operator.

To use the service, select the ‘Live Chat’ icon at the bottom right of your screen when you're on our website.

We still have our 24-hour 101 service which people can call if they feel it is more appropriate to speak to us or don't have access to the internet.

Remember if a crime is happening now and someone is in immediate danger, call 999.

If you have a hearing or speech impairment, use our textphone service 18000 or text us on 999 if you’ve pre-registered with the emergencySMS service.

You can also contact an officer, member of staff or team through our website, submit a general enquiry or provide feedback.

If you would like to make an anonymous report you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.