Extra security for Walsall church battling scourge of discarded needles and used condoms
A historic Walsall church which has suffered discarded needles and used condoms being left on its grounds has been given the green light to increase security.
Walsall Council planners have granted permission to St Mary’s the Mount Roman Catholic Church, on Vicarage Walk, to bring in enhanced CCTV and install extra fencing around its boundary.
Action was taken by the Grade II listed church due to anti-social behaviour issues in and around the area. Home Office funding of £60,000 was also secured to cover part of the costs.
St Mary’s, which will celebrate 200 years since it was formed, in 2027, has previously installed security measures which have tackled some issues but more is needed.
When the plans were first submitted, Father Jobin Kollappallil told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “This church has been here for almost 200 years now and is one of the most ancient churches in the West Midlands.
“It is a beautiful Grade II listed building full of history and tradition. It is a very good place of worship with people coming here for prayer.
“In the past, we’ve had problems with drug users and prostitutes, throwing the needles and used contraception here and there on the premises.
“It is a divine place, a holy place but some people desecrate it. In the past we had more issues, but we installed cameras and put some lighting in which means the number of incidents has gone down.
“But we thought we’d improve it further to eradicate them totally and applied for Home Office funding, which was approved.
“This security will include installing fencing on part of the boundary, increase lighting with movement detection and have improved CCTV.
“We need to keep it as a sacred place where people can come to worship or visit graves in peace. It’s an active church and active place of worship.”
