Security for churches, mosques, temples, gurdwaras and synagogues
For congregation boards, facility committees, administrators and caretakers of places of worship in Alberta and BC.
Updated
The quick answer
A place of worship wants its doors open and welcoming during services and events, and the building looked after the rest of the week. We install access control so doors unlock on your schedule of services, classes and events, a video intercom so the office can see who’s at the door mid-week, cameras on entrances, parking and the outside of the building, and an intrusion alarm a monitoring centre watches overnight. Volunteers and staff get their own fobs instead of keys, and you decide where cameras go.
What facility committees tell us about
Common concerns
- Too many keys handed out over the years, and no way to get them back
- Doors left unlocked after an evening event
- Vandalism, graffiti or break-ins when the building is empty
- Theft of copper, tools or sound equipment
- The office alone in the building during the week
What helps
- Fobs for staff and volunteers that can be cancelled any time
- Doors that lock themselves on a schedule
- Cameras outside and at entrances, with signs
- A video intercom for mid-week visitors
- An alarm with alerts to a caretaker’s phone
Systems that fit a place of worship
| System | What it does |
|---|---|
| Access control | Doors that unlock for services and events and lock again after, with fobs for staff, clergy and volunteers. |
| Video intercom | The office sees and talks to visitors before letting them in during the week. |
| Security cameras | Entrances, parking, the outside of the building and hallways, in the places you choose. |
| Intrusion alarm | Doors, windows and motion sensors, monitored by a monitoring centre when the building is empty. |
| Panic buttons | Silent buttons for the office and staff working alone, if you want them. |
| Sound systems | Microphones, speakers and assistive listening for halls and gathering rooms. |
Welcoming and secure
Security in a place of worship should be quiet. Cameras are small and placed with care, doors stay open during services, and nobody has to buzz in for a gathering they’re invited to. Your community decides whether cameras go inside the sanctuary or prayer hall at all; many choose to cover only entrances, hallways and outside.
Never place cameras in washrooms, change rooms or private offices used for counselling. Alberta’s and BC’s private-sector privacy laws (both called PIPA) apply to video and door logs recorded by businesses. Post signs, point cameras only where you need them, limit who can view footage and keep it only as long as you need it. Not legal advice.
Funding for not-for-profits
The Canada Community Security Program (CCSP) from Public Safety Canada helps eligible not-for-profit organizations, such as places of worship and community centres, with the cost of security upgrades. Read our CCSP funding guide. We can provide a written plan and quote laid out for an application. Funding decisions belong to the program, so we can’t promise funding; check the program’s current rules and intake dates.
How we work around your services
We schedule work between services, festivals, holy days, weddings and funerals, and never during a gathering. Noisy work and door changes happen on quiet weekdays, and the building is locked and alarmed every night of the job.
We work with places of worship across Alberta and BC from our Edmonton head office and our offices in Calgary, Red Deer and Kelowna.
Your checklist
Before the site walk
- Your weekly schedule of services, classes and events
- Who holds keys today
- Where your community does and doesn’t want cameras
- Whether you plan to apply for funding
At handover
- Admin access in your organization’s name
- Full documentation, so the next committee can run it
- Volunteers trained to add and cancel fobs
- A short written policy on who can view footage
Planning upgrades for your building?
We’ll walk the building with your committee and give you a written plan you can phase or use for a funding application.
Related: CCSP fundingaccess controlvideo intercomsound systems
Stuck with a system nobody will fix?
We repair and take over cameras, access control, intercoms and alarms installed by other companies, when your current provider has fallen short.
Help: Export Avigilon video
Place of worship security questions
Can doors unlock automatically for services?
Yes. Access control unlocks doors on your schedule of services, classes and events, and locks them again afterwards, with holiday exceptions.
How do we replace all the keys we’ve handed out?
Move to fobs. Each staff member, clergy member and volunteer gets their own, and a lost or unreturned fob is cancelled the same day.
Where should cameras go in a place of worship?
Usually entrances, parking, hallways and the outside of the building. Your community decides about the sanctuary or prayer hall, and cameras never go in washrooms or change rooms.
Can the office see who’s at the door during the week?
Yes. A video intercom lets the office see and talk to visitors before unlocking the door.
Can we get funding for security upgrades?
Eligible not-for-profits can apply to the Canada Community Security Program (CCSP). We provide a plan and quote for the application, but we can’t promise funding.
Can the alarm alert our caretaker?
Yes. Alarm events can go to a caretaker’s phone and to a monitoring centre that follows your call list.
Will the work disrupt services?
No. We schedule around services, holy days and events, and do noisy work on quiet weekdays.
Can volunteers run the system?
Yes. We hand over admin access and full documentation, and train volunteers to add and cancel fobs and find video.
Do you install sound systems for halls?
Yes. Microphones, speakers and assistive listening for halls and gathering rooms, alongside your security systems.
More answers: Security camera questionsGlossary: NVRvideo analytics
Get a quote for your building
Tell us about the building, your schedule and what you have now. We’ll follow up to book a site walk with your committee.
Call and a real person answers, 24/7 for emergencies.