CHURCHES across Northern Ireland and Britain have been urged to review security arrangements following the IS attack on a Catholic priest saying Mass in Normandy.
The National Police Chiefs' Council, which includes the PSNI, said the Christian community should be "alert but not alarmed" and report concerns after the murder of Fr Jacques Hamel.
There are an estimated 47,000 Christian churches, chapels and meeting houses in the UK.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said: "There is no specific intelligence relating to attacks against the Christian community in the UK.
"However, as we have seen, Daesh (IS) and other terrorist groups have targeted Christian as well as Jewish and other faith groups in the West and beyond.
"Following recent events in France, we are reiterating our protective security advice to Christian places of worship and have circulated specific advice today.
"We are also taking this opportunity to remind them to review their security arrangements as a precaution."
He said it was part of ongoing work with faith organisations and other sectors to "help ensure the safety and security of their staff, visitors and members".
The threat to the UK from international terrorism currently stands at severe, meaning an attack is "highly likely".
In a separate announcement on Tuesday, the British Government announced a new £2.4 million fund for security measures at places of worship as part of efforts to tackle hate crime in Britain.
Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, said he had been contacted by members of the Muslim community in Dublin who have expressed their horror at the attack.
"I think everyone is absolutely stunned by the brutality of it," he told RTÉ Radio's News at One yesterday.
"There's always the danger of copy-cat attempts and those type of copy-cat attempts will only be heightened the more you attract attention".
Archbishop Martin said it is important to respect other religions.
"We can thank God that the relationship between Christians and Muslims in Ireland is good, that there's an understanding and improving day by day," he said.
"The only way you can combat evil is by bringing a similar force of goodness into our society and in the long term we have to be convinced that goodness will always win in a combat against evil."
