Interpol Symposium on Thefts of Works of Art and Cultural Property (From Museum, Archive, and Library Security, P 741-766, 1983, by Lawrence J Fennelly - See NCJ-87831)

• NCJ Number: 87850
• Author(s): L J Fennelly
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 26 pages
• Sale Source: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Based on the minutes From the 'First International Symposium on Thefts of Work of Art and Cultural Property,' Saint-Cloud, France, June 14-16, 1977

Annotation

The symposium focused on the nature and scope of art and cultural thefts in the various countries represented, patterns of trafficking in such stolen items, police responses, international cooperation, and prevention.

Abstract

While the nature of the art and cultural objects most commonly stolen in each country varied according to their availability, the theft of such objects is a significant problem in all the countries represented (Phillippines, India, Italy, Portugal, France, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Upper Volta, Iraq, Libya, and Syria). Patterns of trafficking in stolen art and cultural objects varies from country to country; however, most of the participants considered that many such stolen items are sold in countries other than those in which they are stolen. Trafficking in particular items tends to be concentrated in the countries where the markets for those items are flourishing. The police in various countries have responded to the thefts of art and cultural objects by creating special departments or national offices, centralizing information on art and cultural collections, developing methods for identifying such objects, circulating information on stolen art works, collecting and circulating information on the criminals involved in trafficking, cooperating with customs, and cooperating with the public bodies and professions concerned about such thefts. INTERPOL has made efforts to increase international cooperation in dealing with the problem, and the delegates proposed that the General Secretariat continue to organize working meetings of investigators from different countries handling the same cases. The discussion of prevention dealt with security measures, inventories, legislation, and public education. Discussions were also held on insurance, ransoms, and returning stolen property to owners. Appended is the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.