Collared and thumped - does a dog-collar invite violence?

The Church Times reports that clergy are being advised not to wear their clerical collars while out on their own.

Apparently, the level of violent assaults on clergy has reached such proportions that vicars are being encouraged to walk the streets with a minder, or to slip their dog-collars into their pockets before venturing out.

This isn't quite as daft as it sounds. In seven years of ordained ministry, while wearing my dog collar I've been verbally abused, threatened with "being ripped apart", had crockery thrown at me and, in a complete random assault, punched in the face. None of these attacks have been launched by members of my congregation but by the general public, outside on the street. All of them happened while I was wearing a dog-collar. The article goes on to report that at least five vicars in the last ten years have been murdered in the course of their duties - that's apparently a higher proportion than deaths of police officers in the course of their service.

A clerical collar may mark its wearer as a soft touch, or it may invite some kind of warped projection from the deluded or mentally ill. But it's also a sign that its wearer functions in the community in a particular role. It simply helps in the ministry that we have. I'll try to be more careful but for now at least, I'll keep mine on .