Thefts in Belgian churches on the rise

Belgium's Centre for Religious Art and Culture (CRKC) on Monday reported an increase in the number of thefts in Belgian churches and chapels. Since June, the federal police department in charge of art theft received more reports of church robberies than usual. The phenomenon occurs in all of the provinces of Belgium.

The police are calling for the public to be alert for suspicious activity in and around the churches, adding that the perpetrators may even be “70 years or older". The police are also asking church personnel to provide complete and timely reports of the thefts, to facilitate the creation of an official register of the stolen items. The aim of the register is to make the stolen property less attractive on the art market.