A new report out today shows the scale and extent of heritage and cultural property crime in England.
The ‘Heritage and Cultural Property Crime’ research was funded by Historic England and carried out by crime analysts at Opal (the National Crime Intelligence Unit for Serious Organised Acquisitive Crime) between February 2020 and February 2023.
The assessment has identified the diverse range of active and emerging threats to the historic environment, including the theft of historic lead and stone, high value burglaries targeting cultural objects, unlawful metal detecting (also known as nighthawking) and the removal of artefacts from the nation’s protected wreck sites.
The research also highlights the problem of antisocial behaviour, particularly arson, vandalism and graffiti, and has led to recommendations for more effective prevention and active enforcement of heritage crime.
The report found that the Theft of historic stone (including York stone) from some of England’s most cherished historic sites is on the rise, particularly walls and paving slabs in Yorkshire and Cheshire, as well as granite cattle troughs and fountains from Kent and London.
Metal theft from historic places of worship increased during the lockdown periods of the COVID-19 pandemic, but effective preventative and enforcement action has since resulted in a steady decrease while Offences relating to the theft of cultural objects from art galleries, museums and stately homes are on the rise, with artwork and antiques being the most frequently stolen items. It is estimated that over £3.2 million worth of cultural property was stolen in the 2021/22 period
Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England said
“Heritage and cultural property crime robs us of our collective history. This research marks the next stage in our commitment to tackle such crime. More effective crime recording across all police forces in the UK, including a heritage marker to highlight protected sites and cultural property crime, would help us to understand trends better and to tackle serious organised crime and anti-social behaviour.”
