Crime against museums, galleries and heritage sites is a growing problem but help is available to tackle the problem, delegates were told at the Museums Association (MA) Conference and Exhibition today.
“There is a huge upsurge in theft,” said MA board member Rowan Brown, whose own institution, the National Mining Museum Scotland, has been targeted a number of times. Brown highlighted illegal metal detecting, metal theft, vandalism and fraud as particular problems.
The other speaker was William Brown, Arts Council England’s (ACE) national security adviser. He pointed to high-profile cases such as the recent thefts from museums such as rhino horn and Chinese jade, saying museums should take steps to protect themselves from organised and opportunistic crime.
There are a number of organisations that can help museums prevent crime, including ACE. The arts council has also worked with the Collections Trust on a museum security toolkit.
English Heritage is a good source of information about crime related to listed buildings and heritage sites, while there is also the Alliance to Reduce Crime Against Heritage.
The Association of Chief Police Officers is launching its Heritage and Cultural Property Crime national assessment initiative at the Tower of London on 18 November. The aim is to identify emerging threats and opportunities to combat crime.
“There is a huge upsurge in theft,” said MA board member Rowan Brown, whose own institution, the National Mining Museum Scotland, has been targeted a number of times. Brown highlighted illegal metal detecting, metal theft, vandalism and fraud as particular problems.
The other speaker was William Brown, Arts Council England’s (ACE) national security adviser. He pointed to high-profile cases such as the recent thefts from museums such as rhino horn and Chinese jade, saying museums should take steps to protect themselves from organised and opportunistic crime.
There are a number of organisations that can help museums prevent crime, including ACE. The arts council has also worked with the Collections Trust on a museum security toolkit.
English Heritage is a good source of information about crime related to listed buildings and heritage sites, while there is also the Alliance to Reduce Crime Against Heritage.
The Association of Chief Police Officers is launching its Heritage and Cultural Property Crime national assessment initiative at the Tower of London on 18 November. The aim is to identify emerging threats and opportunities to combat crime.
