The London Assembly is the latest organisation to support the country-wide programme to tackle heritage crime, led by English Heritage, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers.
English Heritage writes:
In a recent event held at City Hall, Jennette Arnold, Chair of the London Assembly, said: ‘All too often, the lifting of lead from a church roof or the demolition of historic properties has been treated almost as an inevitable consequence of the age in which we live.’
‘That’s why the Assembly has been so keen to support this event and those on the frontline of protecting our great inheritance of so many significant and lovely heritage sites throughout London.’
‘We have been keen to do our bit, lobbying government to better regulate the scrap metal market, encouraging the Metropolitan Police Service to take action over the rise of metal theft, and successfully persuading the Mayor to include protection of War Memorials in the London Plan.’
The heritage crime event was jointly hosted by the London Assembly and English Heritage to call on more London boroughs to become signatories to a Memorandum of Understanding and to join the Alliance to Reduce Crime Against Heritage (ARCH). This is a voluntary national network that is being used to take forward the initiatives and galvanise local action. More than 60 representatives attended from councils across London, the Church of England, Fire and Rescue Service, British Transport Police, the Metropolitan Police, and City of London Police.
Two London councils, Lambeth and Wandsworth, have so far signed the Memorandum of Understanding which seeks to coordinate how heritage crime issues are addressed within community safety strategies and other services. Many other borough councils have expressed interest in becoming involved with the programme.
Baroness Andrews, Chair of English Heritage who gave the keynote speech, said: ‘Part of the problem is the compartmentalisation of knowledge and responsibility. Conservation and enforcement are handled by different areas in local authorities. Citizens and local groups don’t know who to contact or report the problems. That’s why we must invest in partnerships if we are to defeat these crimes. It is the only way that crime prevention and enforcement stand a chance of deterring criminal activity.’
EH News: LINK
