Stolen works of art Frequently asked questions

1. Is it true that trafficking in cultural property is the third most common form of trafficking, after drug trafficking and arms trafficking?

We do not possess any figures which would enable us to claim that trafficking in cultural property is the third or fourth most common form of trafficking, although this is frequently mentioned at international conferences and in the media.

In fact, it is very difficult to gain an exact idea of how many items of cultural property are stolen throughout the world and it is unlikely that there will ever be any accurate statistics. National statistics are often based on the circumstances of the theft (petty theft, theft by breaking and entering or armed robbery), rather than the type of object stolen. To illustrate this, every year, the Interpol General Secretariat asks all member countries for statistics on theft of works of art, information on where the thefts took place, and the nature of the stolen objects. On average, we receive 60 replies a year (out of 188 member countries), some of which are incomplete or inform us that no statistics exist.

2. What is the cost of trafficking in cultural property?

It is not possible to put a figure on this type of crime, partly for the reasons mentioned above and partly because the value of an item of cultural property is not always the same in the country in which it was stolen and the destination country. Also, thefts of such property are sometimes not reported to the police because the money used to purchase them had not been declared for tax reasons or because it was the proceeds of criminal activity.

It is also impossible to assess the financial extent of the losses caused by clandestine archaeological excavations. Such excavations often only come to light when looted items appear on the international market.

3. Which countries are most affected by this type of crime and which objects are most frequently stolen?

According to information received by the General Secretariat, the thieves' favourite countries are France , Poland, Russia, Germany and Italy.

The majority of thefts are carried out from private individuals. Museums and places of worship are also among the preferred targets.

The type of objects stolen varies from country to country. Generally speaking, paintings, sculptures and statues, and religious items are very sought after by thieves.

However, they do not spare any other category, including so different items as archaeological pieces, antiquarian books, antique furniture, coins, weapons and firearms or ancient gold and silverware.

4. What is the role of the Interpol General Secretariat in countering the traffic in cultural property?

Since 1947, Interpol has put considerable effort into countering the traffic in cultural property.

The role of the General Secretariat is to:

• Centralize information: information sent to the General Secretariat is analysed and entered in the 'Works of Art' database. Our role is to give added value to information received.
  
  
• Transmit information received to member countries and official partners as rapidly as possible
  
  
• Develop the tools to enable member countries to counter the traffic in cultural property effectively
  
  
• Organize international conferences, either in Lyon or in member countries. The most recent meetings were held in Lyon in May 2003 and October 2002, and in Brijuni, Croatia, in June 2001.
  
  
• Organize training courses on countering the traffic in cultural property (e.g. Bogotá, Colombia, November 2002 and Santiago, Chile, March 2004).
  
  
• Maintain a close working relationship with the international organizations involved in countering the traffic in cultural property (i.e. UNESCO, the World Customs Organization (WCO), the Council of Europe and the International Council of Museums (ICOM)). Interpol has signed memoranda of understanding with UNESCO, WCO and ICOM.
  
  
• Participate in international conferences and workshops throughout the world.

5. What tools has the General Secretariat devised to tackle the traffic in cultural property?

• International stolen cultural property notices
  From 1947 until March 2000, the General Secretariat circulated international stolen cultural property notices. These notices contained photographs of the stolen works of art, together with descriptions in English and French. Circulation of the notices ceased as a result of developments in computer tools making distribution of paper copies obsolete.
  
  
• 'Most wanted works of art' posters
  Since 1972, the General Secretariat has published special notices for particularly valuable stolen works of art. Until 1986, these notices were known as 'THE 12 MOST WANTED WORKS OF ART' and were published on average once a year. Since 1987, the notice design has undergone complete revision and they now appear in the form of a poster published in June and December every year, entitled 'THE MOST WANTED WORKS OF ART', illustrating six items. Since 1998, the poster has been printed in colour.
  
  
• An effective telecommunications network
  To further enhance efficiency, Interpol has developed a new, secure telecommunications system which is even faster and more effective, based on Internet technology: the I-24/7 system. It takes only a few minutes to send information to all member countries.
  
  
• Computerized database
  In 1995, the Interpol General Secretariat produced a new database for works of art combining descriptions and pictures. This database - developed by police officers for police officers - currently contains over 26,000 items.

  To enable member countries to supply information in a format which can be entered in the database, the General Secretariat has produced standard forms, known as CRIGEN/ART, which are available in the Organization's four official languages (Arabic, English, French, and Spanish). These forms, based on a very simplified visual description, help police officers with a limited knowledge of cultural property to describe the objects. The forms are essential for the circulation of information as they enable an object to be described in the same way, regardless of language or culture.

  Only fully identifiable objects are entered in the database.

• Remote access to the database
  Since the end of January 1999, it has been possible for NCBs with the necessary technical equipment to consult the database remotely, by means of specially developed software called EASYFORM, which can be used in English, French or Spanish. This constitutes a considerable step forward, as information entered in the General Secretariat database can now be consulted from anywhere in the world within a few minutes.
  
  
• Interpol Stolen Works of Art CD-ROM
  As access to our database is restricted to law-enforcement agencies, the General Secretariat has produced a CD-ROM to circulate information on stolen works of art to private bodies (e.g. museums, antique dealers, collectors, etc.) and enable them to take appropriate action. It is updated every two months, is available on subscription and can be consulted in English, French or Spanish. The Interpol Stolen Works of Art CD-ROM contains information which member countries have reported to the General Secretariat and allow to be circulated to the general public for preventive purposes. However, the CD-ROM is not in any way intended to be a complete database of all works of art stolen throughout the world. Subscribers are therefore informed that the CD-ROM is only one of the 'reasonably accessible registers' referred to in the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention. Article 4(4) of that Convention states that 'In determining whether the possessor exercised due diligence, regard shall be had to all the circumstances of the acquisition, including the character of the parties, the price paid, whether the possessor consulted any reasonably accessible register of stolen cultural objects, and any other relevant information and documentation which it could reasonably have obtained, and whether the possessor consulted accessible agencies or took any other step that a reasonable person would have taken in the circumstances.'

  The CD-ROM also contains the texts of the 1970 UNESCO Convention and the UNIDROIT Convention, a list with photographs of objects at risk (e.g. the ICOM Red List), and Object ID, an international standard for describing a work of art, which is fully compatible with Interpol's CRIGEN/ART forms.
  The CD-ROM meets the needs of art dealers who, until now, had found it very difficult to know whether a work of art offered to them for sale was stolen or not.

• Internet site
  In July 2000, the General Secretariat set up the Internet site which you are now visiting. All information sent to the General Secretariat before the CD-ROM is next updated is published on the Internet site under the heading 'Recent thefts', thus allowing information contained in the CD-ROM to be updated on a daily basis.

6. What is the modus operandi most frequently used by thieves?

Breaking and entering is the method most commonly employed by thieves.

7. What can be done to tackle this type of crime?

At national level:

• Bring in laws to protect cultural heritage and regulate the art market
• Become party to international conventions (position of the General Secretariat vis-à-vis the 1970 UNESCO Convention and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention)
• Prepare inventories of public collections using standards which will make it possible to circulate information in the event of theft
• Develop a computerized database along the lines of those currently in use, to avoid duplication of effort
• Circulate information on thefts as rapidly as possible
• Raise public awareness with regard to the cultural heritage both in the country and abroad
• Set up specialized police units to tackle this type of crime
• Hold training courses for the police, other law-enforcement services and customs, with the support of cultural institutions

By owners:

• Compile inventories of collections (with photographs and exact descriptions of each object - refer to Object ID)
• Make objects easily identifiable (i.e. marking by the owner or by specialist private companies)
• Protect the premises where the collections are held
• Report thefts immediately to the police or other law-enforcement authorities and provide them with a full list of stolen items together with photographs

By art/antique dealers:

• Take extreme care when purchasing items and use all available means to satisfy themselves as to their origin
• Refuse to buy objects without adequate documentation as to their origin

More than 20,000 stolen works of art on the DVD Plus de 20 000 oeuvres d'art volées sur le DVD