Parishioners at one of Canberra's most architecturally significant churches have been forced to hold mass in a small office after police officers did not attend the scene until a day after a break-in.
The St Thomas Aquinas church in Charnwood was broken into and vandalised between 11:00am and 5:00pm on Tuesday.
The break-in was reported on Tuesday evening, but officers did not show up at the church until after 9:30am on Wednesday to forensically examine the scene.
Bill Fitzpatrick, a member of the St Thomas Aquinas congregation, said between the vandalism of the church and the delayed police presence, the parish was struggling.
"Our mass this morning was in the parish centre, which is a little office type room," he said.
He was surprised to find that when the vandalism was first called into police, the church was told officers would not arrive until the next day.
Mr Fitzpatrick said while he did not blame the individual officers on the case, the change in police attendance at break-ins made things difficult for the parishioners.
"We can't touch a thing until the police ... forensically examine the place," he said.
"Another case of 'we're 200 policemen short on the beat, we can't get anybody out there until today.' It's ridiculous."
Mr Fitzpatrick said the vandalism was heartbreaking.
"[We're] devastated. There's 30 of us gathered to mass there every day," he said.
"It was a beautiful church, magnificently designed, and loved by everyone who frequented the place. There are no words to describe it."
'We simply don't have enough police'
Opposition police spokesman Jeremy Hanson said the delay at St Thomas Aquinas would not be the last.
"This is, unfortunately, the new normal under the Labor and Greens government," he said.
"The Chief Police Officer and the Police Association have made it very clear that this is a resourcing problem. We simply don't have enough police."
Mr Hanson said the fault was not on the police force, but the lawmakers whose policies they follow.
"This is no criticism of our very hardworking police force, the problem is that the Labor Party and the Greens in the ACT have created a critical shortage," he said.
"The reality is that's not going to happen in the future."
'I just don't understand'
St Thomas Aquinas's priest Tom Thornton discovered the damage and said he was left asking why.
"The alter [was] overturned, the chair and the crib, the Christmas tree. A great, cheerful way to come home.
"I just don't understand what you would gain by coming in and trashing the place. I just don't understand."
Father Thornton said with Christmas upcoming, the break-in could not have come at a worse time.
"We're supposed to have a year six graduation here tomorrow night, but we won't be able to," he said.
But chair of the parish council, Gerri Bleeser, said the damage to property was not the largest issue.
"It's just so sad that people today are so angry [that] this is the way they display their anger," she said.
"It's a beautiful church, it's been here for a long time, it means a lot to so many people [but] we'll be fine.
"We have beautiful things in our church, but they are things and they are replaceable."
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the delay in police officers attending the scene to an online reporting tool, which is not yet in effect.
