A new survey has been launched by University College London and Historic England, aiming to find out more about theft of heritage in buildings which are open to the public, including places of worship.
NHTG writes:
A survey on the theft of cultural property from inside listed or scheduled buildings open to the public has just been launched. This is a joint research being undertaken by the Department of Security and Crime Science University College London in partnership with Historic England. The aim is to explore the extent, patterns and perceptions of theft of cultural property from inside listed or scheduled buildings that are freely open to the public. This includes places of worship so please take the time to answer the questions about your local listed church especially if it is one you help care for.
Heritage crime is defined as ‘any offence which harms the value of England’s heritage assets and their settings to this and future generations’ (English Heritage, 2011). It can refer to a wide range of criminal offences including the unauthorised alteration of listed buildings, illegal metal detecting, theft of historic stone and metal, and criminal damage. The harms associated with heritage crimes can be far-reaching and irreparable. In recent years heritage crime has attracted greater public and political attention, likely owing to several high profile offences. This is encouraging. However, due to a lack of reliable data there is still much we don’t know about the prevalence and patterns of heritage crime, as well as effective measures to reduce heritage crime and the harms it generates.
View the news release
Answer the survey
