St Peter's Church in Waltrop has been plagued by vandalism: There have been repeated cases of damage, people urinating in the church, leaving faeces or breaking beer bottles. Not only are the church doors currently closed outside of service times, but the nativity scene has also been moved.
Pastor Dr Carsten Roeger drew conclusions from the unspeakable acts of vandalism in St Peter's. Since March, "there have been repeated cases of damage, people have urinated in the church, left faeces, or broken beer bottles. The organ in St Peter's was even badly damaged with a fire extinguisher. And the worst thing is that the police can't do anything," says the sacristan. He has never seen anything like this in his 24 years of service.
To ensure that people can enter the church, at least temporarily, during the Christmas season, the parish council has set up a volunteer security team. The nativity scene has also been moved so that it can still be seen through the bars at the back of the church when it is closed.
At St Marien's, another church in the area, the parish decided to put the nativity scene behind glass to prevent vandalism.