Since summer 2012 a series of thefts has been going on in Austrian churches around Melk. Figurines have been taken and in mid-December images have been cut out from flags used for processions.
Diocesan Bishop Küng calls the situation a real dilemma for the diocese that wants to keep the churches open as a place for prayer but at the same time he worries about the security issue. The police and the diocese now call for the citizens’ alertness. They suspect a gang of burglars that know the area very well.