Spate of thefts from museums puts security under spotlight

In November, Dulwich Picture Gallery in south London was hit by a break-in during which an intruder prised two Rembrandt paintings off the walls.

Police and security guards arrived within minutes, thanks to the gallery’s alarm system. But the thief sprayed one police officer in the face with an unknown substance before escaping.

The paintings were abandoned in the undergrowth outside and the gallery remained closed for two weeks while investigations took place.

A few weeks later, two thieves broke into the Green Vault, one of the world’s oldest museums and part of the Royal Palace Museum in Dresden. They made off with three sets of 18th-century diamond and pearl jewellery of “immeasurable worth” in a smash-and-grab raid.

Within days, Berlin’s Stasi Museum was looted, with burglars breaking in via the roof and  stealing communist-era medals and jewellery worth thousands of euros.

Three high-profile robberies in quick succession have shone a spotlight on the challenges faced by museums to keep their buildings and collections safe. The market in stolen art and antiquities has been estimated to be worth £4.6bn a year and shows no sign of slowing down. The Green Vault heist was one of the largest in Germany since the second world war.

It has emerged that the items – which included a diamond-encrusted dagger – were not insured, which is standard practice for permanent collections in Germany’s public museums because the premiums typically exceed potential losses in the long term.

Questions will be asked as to how the thieves avoided the Green Vault’s hi-tech security system. Police believe they disabled the museum’s alarm by setting fire to an electrical panel that cut its power supply and nearby street lighting – a cautionary tale on the perils of relying on a single power source, according to one insurer. The intruders entered the museum by cutting through a fence and smashing a window.

The Stasi Museum, which displays historical artefacts related to the East German secret police, was a less obvious target for thieves.

The break-in came as a surprise to staff, with the museum’s director telling German media that the incident had left them feeling “considerably disturbed”. The country’s culture minister, Monika Grütters, has called for a national conference on museum  

security, saying: “We need to look at how museums can protect their objects from such brutal activities, while still being accessible to the public in the normal way.”

Finding a balance

It can be difficult to strike a balance when protecting often-priceless artefacts in a setting that must be as accessible to the public as possible. So how can cultural institutions stay safe without turning their buildings into Fort Knox?

“It’s best practice to welcome all visitors, to let them know their presence in the venue is recognised,” says Arts Council England’s national security adviser, William Brown. “Venue managers should ensure staff are briefed and trained in the implementation of local emergency plans and the preservation of crime scenes, should the worst happen.

If unsure as to the motives or suspicious activity of visitors, seek guidance from management and, if necessary, let the police know.”

Security should be continually revisited. “All venues are encouraged to review alarm systems, lighting and other technology on a regular basis, and to check for causes of any ‘apparent’ false alarm activations,” says Brown.