Mosques given £66m in emergency security funds after Southport disorder

A record £66m of emergency security funding was issued by the Home Office for mosques and related community sites in the UK when violent disorder spread in the aftermath of the Southport attacks in 2024.

Exclusive figures obtained by the Guardian also reveal a record of about £41m in security funding was issued for mosques and related community sites for the year from April 2025-26 as part of the protective security scheme.

The chief executive of the British Muslim Trust, the government’s partner for monitoring anti-Muslim hatred, said the figures “tell an incredibly sombre story about the rise in anti-Muslim hostility that British Muslims are living with”.

“Security needs are increasing as a direct response to the increase in attacks that mosques are under,” Akeela Ahmed said. “If we want to bring down the costs for protecting British Muslims in the UK then we need to reduce the need for protection and address the root causes of hate against Muslim communities.”

The trust published data in July showing that one mosque was attacked every five days across Britain in the past year.

The government launched a security scheme for places of worship in 2016 for England and Wales, and in 2023 it created a dedicated scheme worth £29.4m for mosques and faith schools in the UK to provide security to ensure the safety of Muslim communities.

The Jami centre, which is seeking funding but has had to introduce its own security measures, including gates and blackout boards. Photograph: Fabio De Paola/The Guardian

According to figures obtained via a freedom of information request, the security funding issued for mosques, Islamic faith schools and associated sites was £73,147 in 2016-17, before increasing to about £3m in 2022-23, £29m in 2024-25 and a record of about £41m in 2025-26.

Graph of security funding for mosques and related community sites

The Home Office introduced a separate emergency security scheme as a temporary measure for places of worship when violent disorder spread across cities after a knife attack in Southport in 2024 in which three girls at a dance class were murdered.

Of the almost £69m granted to places of worship in the UK as part of this scheme, about £66m was issued to mosques and associated sites, the data revealed. At the time, mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers were targeted after false news had spread online claiming that the perpetrator of the attack was a Muslim asylum seeker.

Shaista Gohir, the chief executive of Muslim Women’s Network UK, said the figures created “the impression that substantial action is being taken to tackle anti-Muslim hostility” but the government’s response remained “limited compared with the scale of the problem”.

“There is little visible action to address the safety of Muslim women, and most of the funding doesn’t even appear to reach mosques or other community sites. One mosque leader I spoke to recently had to apply several times and still only received funding for some requested measures. Many others are still waiting for decisions,” Gohir said.

Graph of security funding applications

The Jami community centre in Birmingham has reported at least five incidents relating to hate crime and racially aggravated criminal damage between March and July this year, according to West Midlands police. The centre has introduced its own security measures, including gates and blackout boards, while it completes its application for security funding.

Worshippers told the Guardian about the incidents – some of which had not been reported to police – including smashed windows and Islamophobic graffiti.

Khalid, a volunteer at the Jami centre, alongside smashed windows. ‘The centre feels that they’re not being supported enough.’ Photograph: Fabio De Paola/The Guardian

Khalid, a volunteer at the centre, organised an emergency meeting with MPs, councillors and police. He criticised the lack of response from West Midlands police to the several incidents that have occurred.

“We’ve had the Prevent team from the council coming here. We’ve had the imam being verbally abused. There’s people being verbally abused … What are we waiting for? Like a disaster to happen?” he said.

He added: “The centre feels that they’re not being supported enough. More needs to be done. No one should ever feel unsafe coming to pray. It’s not safe. They feel insecure in their own home and in their own place of worship.”

Islam, a 41-year-old private hire driver who attends the centre, reported one incident to the police earlier this year, when an individual shouted abuse at worshippers.

He said the attacks had forced many women and children to attend another mosque nearby because of fears for their safety. “I don’t think any Muslim hijabi lady would walk to this centre on their own,” Islam said.

Paulette Hamilton, the MP for Birmingham Erdington, said she was “deeply concerned” by the attacks on the centre. “It’s absolutely hateful. I think the people who are doing it are cowardly and there is no place for that sort of thing in the constituency.”

West Midlands police said they remained in “close contact with leaders and worshippers” at the centre. “We take all forms of hate crime seriously, and every report of it made to us is investigated as we work to bring offenders to justice,” a spokesperson said.

The Home Office said it was working to process all applications for security funding as soon as possible. “To help protect Muslim communities from the appalling levels of hate crime they face, the government has made £40m available through protective security schemes. This is part of a record £77.4m investment in security funding for faith communities in 2026-27,” a spokesperson said.