1. Combatting Heritage Crime:
Key Findings from the ACE Museum Security
Programme
Nick Poole, CEO, Collections Trust

2. About the Collections Trust…

3. About the Programme
• A joint programme with the Arts Council England and the
Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Crime Prevention Unit
– Increased awareness of museum security as a core element of good
Collections Management practice;
– Improved capacity and expertise in basic museum security and
housekeeping;
– Enhanced awareness of the Arts Council’s support through the National
Security Adviser;
– A self-supporting community of practice to share knowledge;
– Improved usage of existing published material on the subject

9. 6 Seminars…

10. What is ‘Heritage Crime’?
• Defined as “any offence which harms the value of England’s
heritage assets and their settings to this and future generations”
• Technically:
– Architectural Theft
– Planning Enforcement refusal, unauthorised development and excavation
– Public Urination (Anti-social Behaviour)
– Arson and Unauthorised fires
– Metal Theft and Unauthorised metal detecting (‘Nighthawking’)
– Advertising / Fly posting
– Criminal Damage / Graffiti (Anti-social Behaviour)
– Vehicular damage

11. Key risk areas
• Buildings
• Collections
• Stock/plant
• Information
• People

12. The theft problem…
• Theft
– Petty theft
– Personal property theft
– Metal theft
– Pickpocketing
– Shop stock
– Theft-to-order (jade, Rhino horn)
– Burglary
– Inside theft
– Opportunistic theft
– Building materials/plant theft

13. Lack of evidence
• No equivalent to EH ‘Heritage Crime’ survey in museums
• 90%+ of the 200-300 institutions involved in our workshops had been affected
by heritage crime
• No coherent national picture of the scale of the problem, or trends
• Lack of information sharing about current threats among museums
• Support from the National Security Adviser, Facewatch and recently-
established National Museums Security Network

14. Key risk factors
• Attractive targets
• High-value collections/inventory
• Limited risk awareness
• Reluctance to invest strategically
• Reductions in staffing capacity
• Gradual upgrade path for key equipment

15. Challenges post-incident
• Loss of trust/reputational damage
• Difficulties in borrowing items on loan
• A culture of fear
• Challenging innocent visitors
• Lack of holistic/strategic response
• A burglary at work is as unsettling as one at home

16. Key lessons learned
• Rational choice perspective
• There is a tremendous amount heritage sites/venues can do to deter crime
• A culture of risk/security awareness
• Relationship with local CPO
• Access control/surveillance
• Develop & train response
• Prevention/deflection is better than cure
• Hire good people, be aware of emergent risks

17. Self-assessment tools
• Environmental Visual Audit (EVA) – ‘walk the perimiter’
• Security Check – ‘develop a culture of security/risk awareness’
• Used as in-house training tools, for staff development and audit

18. Environmental Visual Audit (EVA)

19. Security Check

20. Next steps
• Real need for just-in-time information sharing about current threats/targets
• Partnership with Securitas to provide information & expertise
• Understanding Security as a facet of a strategic approach to risk,
environmental and collections management
• Looking at interaction of security with insurance & indemnity
• Further workshops during 2013-14
• Security Checklist/External Visual Assessment

21. Take it further…
www.collectionslink.org.uk/discover/security