Conservation Bulletin (70)

Andy Bliss, Chief Constable of Hertfordshire, describes some of the ways in which chief police officers have been working with partner agencies and groups to tackle the kinds of criminal activities that can affect heritage assets, against the background of national and international crime trends. LD

Discusses the implementation of Operation Totem, launched by Lincolnshire Police in 2011 as a response to reports of crop damage in the Horncastle area through the excavation of holes by criminals using metal detectors to seek artefacts. An intelligence-gathering phase led to the recovery of more than 500 archaeological objects, with assistance from English Heritage; a subsequent investigation into where these items had originated included analyses by British Museum staff. Following a successful prosecution in this case, the remit of Operation Totem has been extended. The team has also engaged with the general public through an exhibition at The Collection '“ the county's archaeology museum in Lincoln. This highlighted the importance of targeting heritage crime, whilst drawing attention to the impact of illicit metal-detecting on farmers and landowners. LD

Describes the approach to tackling heritage crime that has been taken by Cheshire West and Chester Council, following recognition of both the seriousness of the issue and the importance of heritage to the area's economy. The Council was made a member of the Alliance to Reduce Crime against Heritage, and signed up to the Memorandum of Understanding developed by the Association of Chief Police Officers, English Heritage and the Crown Prosecution Service. Since then the council has sought to integrate heritage crime reduction activities through the existing framework of its Community Safety Partnership. The progress made during the first two years and some of the benefits seen from this work are outlined. LD

In 1996 the Association of Conservation Officers (now the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, IHBC) established a national database of prosecutions for unauthorised works to listed buildings. This short article looks at a number of case studies from the database and considers the wider picture. Fewer than a quarter of local planning authorities have initiated any prosecutions over the last seventeen years, and of these, many have done so only once. Furthermore, unfamiliarity of magistrates with listed building offences has tended to result in inconsistent sentencing. The IHBC's database will potentially be useful in setting a context for appropriate levels of fines, and it is hoped that recent initiatives, particularly the participation of local authorities in the Alliance for the Reduction of Crime Against Heritage, the dissemination of good practice guidance and the availability of information, will give local authorities more confidence to address this area in future. LD

Specialist heritage insurance company Ecclesiastical Insurance has been working in partnership with English Heritage (EH) for a number of years, and this relationship was recently strengthened by a secondment for the author to EH's Heritage Crime team. He discusses two separate risk assessment tools that were developed during the secondment. LD

Outlines some of the reasons why heritage assets can fall victim to criminal activity, and discusses measures that can be taken to improve security. Heritage sites warrant special consideration because they are valued by society and by communities, and because that value is adversely affected when original elements of a site or structure are damaged or need to be replaced with facsimiles. LD

The Church of England has around 16,000 places of worship, of which 76% are listed. During 2011, more than 4,560 of its buildings were damaged by heritage crime, with metal theft making up a significant proportion of incidents. This article focuses primarily on the Church's response, which has included providing advice on basic security, mounting a campaign of forensic marking and roof alarm installation, and reporting the impact of metal theft on churches to the Home Office and to parliamentarians. Advice is also offered regarding the security of items such as artworks, monuments, precious metals and archaeological artefacts. Whilst numbers of incidents involving such items are relatively low, the impact on heritage and local communities can be high. LD

Discusses the issue of crimes at privately owned heritage properties, which tend to fall into four categories: external theft of statuary, sculptures or building materials; planned burglary targeting a few high-value items; opportunist theft by people posing as visitors; and vandalism. These categories are considered in turn, with a particular focus on measures taken recently to deter theft of lead from roofs, and trends in the carrying out of burglaries. Emphasises the need for the custodians of Britain's historic properties to be a step ahead of criminals in the current age of readily available information, easy public access and high mobility. The Stately Home Hotline, a free security advisory service, offers guidance, support and checklists to the owners and managers of historic properties, museums and gardens, as a way of helping isolated and vulnerable sites. LD

The National Council for Metal Detecting (NCMD) has been a willing advocate for the Alliance to Reduce Crime against Heritage. It actively condemns the practice of illegal metal-detecting and recognises the need to address the issue. However, the NCMD's view on current prevention and enforcement methods may at times differ from that of the establishment. This article discusses different perceptions and portrayals of metal-detecting, and advocates the development of mutually agreed definitions of illicit metal-detecting that avoid the use of emotive terms and misleading terminology when briefing the media and issuing press releases. Au/LD

Outlines the importance of war memorials as reminders of the military, social and local history of the country and as part of our architectural heritage, and introduces the War Memorials Trust, a conservation charity that works to protect and conserve all war memorials across the UK, advising on best practice for conservation and repairs and administering grants. The Trust also takes a proactive approach to reducing metal theft from war memorials. The current situation regarding rates of theft is outlined, and repair and replacement options are discussed. This is followed by a case study illustrating changing trends in theft, looking at the war memorial on Honeywood Walk in Carshalton in the London Borough of Sutton. LD

The Priddy Circles are a series of four Neolithic circular earthworks located in the Mendip Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Somerset. In 2011, extensive groundworks were found to have been undertaken on the most southerly of the circles. Following a criminal investigation, the landowner pleaded guilty to the offence of carrying out works to a scheduled monument without consent; he was fined, and entered an agreement to undertake reinstatement works. This article describes the importance of the Priddy Circles, the damage inflicted and the investigation, highlighting the importance to the latter of collaboration between different agencies and public bodies. LD