Organised thieves target England’s stately homes

London, England
England’s stately homes are being targeted by organised gangs who are stealing important porcelain pieces. With at least 21 major cases in the past three years, and a further 15 attempted robberies according to a leading criminal expert Dick Ellis, former head of Scotland Yard’s art and antiques unit. Targets include Firle Place in Sussex, where porcelain worth £500,000 was seized last summer and Sutton Park, the home of Sir Reginald Sheffield—the father of Samantha Cameron, the prime minister’s wife. In most cases the criminals seem to know exactly what they are looking for and spend only a minutes in the house.

Dick Ellis said, "I have identified three gangs, who appear to be responsible for most of the 36 thefts and attempted break-ins. The first operates at night, removing sections of glass from windows, often with the use of a ladder (it may have been responsible for the Firle Place and Sutton Park losses). The second gang, which forces its way through a door or window, includes a very small person who is able to squeeze into narrow openings. The third targets country houses open to visitors, using very rapid forced entry. All three gangs are highly professional."

The Art Newspaper

Fireplaces stolen to order

Above: One of the stolen Georgian fireplaces [photo. BBC NEWS]

Edinburgh UK
According to Police two city fireplaces have been stolen to order. The incident happened between 7pm on Thursday 13 May and 7.30pm on Friday 14 May in Edinburgh, the fireplaces where stolen from a property which is currently under renovation.

A Lothian and Borders Police spokesman said, "Given the value and style of these items, they were most likely stolen to order and we are eager to speak to anyone who can assist with our inquiries. The size and weight of the fireplaces would require a large car or van to transport them. If anyone has seen any such vehicles in the area or witnessed anything else suspicious, they should contact police immediately."

BBC NEWS

Three men jailed for Auschwitz sign theft

Krakow, Poland
Three men have been convicted for stealing the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign from Auschwitz memorial site. They were given sentances ranging from 18 month to two and a half years. The authorities in Stockholm said last week that a Swedish former neo-Nazi, who allegedly instigated the theft, will be extradited to Poland to face trial.

Guardian

Over 50 Staddle Stones stolen

Wiltshire, UK

Wiltshire police are appealing for information following a series of staddle stone thefts throughout the county. Reports claim that there has been over 20 separate thefts of stones, equating to over 50 bases and tops.

During the evening of Tuesday 19th January 2010 there were three separate thefts of staddle stones in Compton Chamberlayne, Ebbesborne Wake and Broadchalke. Two men aged 20 and 16 years from Salisbury and Child Okeford respectively were arrested on suspicion of theft but later released pending further enquiries.


The Missing List

Stolen art watch

Drouot, Paris France

A DROUOT auctioneer and eight commission agents were given preliminary charges, including organized theft, with three others released with no charges, in Paris police raids on Drouot, its warehouses and homes of employees. A stolen Courbet painting was found at the home of one of the commission agents. Other pieces seized in the sweep included artworks, frames and furniture.


art hostage

Planning laws leave war memorials at risk

Hundreds of war memorials are at risk of being lost or damaged because planning laws fail to cover their preservation, according to a report published today. Military memorials are also under threat from thieves who sell them for use as garden sculptures.

The report from the London Assembly calls for a full register of memorials in the capital to be developed over the next two years and for changes to the planning laws. It says that a system should be in operation that automatically alerts the authorities to the presence of a memorial or monument on land that is the subject of a planning proposal. The protection and preservation of memorials in London must become a key consideration in planning policies developed by individual boroughs, the report says.

Tony Arbour, an assembly member who led the investigation into the capital’s memorials, said: ”The thousands of war memorials in the capital, of all shapes and sizes, are a real and tangible reminder of Londoners who gave their todays for our tomorrows. To preserve London’s remaining memorials, planning processes must be changed to reflect the unique protection these aspects of our built environment require, and applied carefully by the mayor and the boroughs”.

There are an estimated 100,000 war memorials and monuments in the country, with 5,500 listed in London. The report says that they are under threat from neglect, permitted development, vandalism and theft, collapse and natural erosion and also because they are not protected as architectural landmarks in the same way as historic buildings.

It highlights how a memorial at St George’s church in Peckham, southeast London, had disappeared by 1993 after the building was closed in 1971 and became derelict. Others are broken into pieces, as happened to a memorial tablet at a bus station in Palmers Green that was rebuilt. Teak memorial panels at Old Paddington Town Hall were burnt when the drill hall was demolished and no suitable accommodation could be found for them.

The report warns that without a register of every memorial it is likely that their preservation will be overlooked in the planning process. “Appearance on a register would protect war memorials from development, and if this were accompanied by specific local planning policies requiring memorials to be retained in situ if possible or guidance for relocation if necessary, a high level of protection would be provided,” it says.

Times Online

Antiques raided at stately home

Antiques and furnishings valued at £200,000 have been stolen from a stately home in Worcestershire.

Burglars targeted Earls Croome Court, near Upton-upon-Severn, between 16 June and 3 July.
Their haul included a 30-light chandelier, 11 oak doors, two toilets with basins, washing machines, iron gates and a kitchen sink.

The house is the former home of the Earls of Coventry and was bought by the Croome Heritage Trust in 2007.

West Mercia Police said the stolen items could be offered for resale and urged people to be on their guard.

BBC News

DNA glue to stop York stone theft

Weatherproof DNA-based glue is to be used to mark valuable stone and similar materials in an attempt by police in Surrey to stop thefts. Reported thefts of York stone paving slabs in the borough of Waverley have been on the increase since last year. The glue has a unique identity code which can be seen under ultra-violet light.

It follows the introduction of a DNA-based grease which has helped to reduce the amount of lead which is stolen.

Insp Simon Dann said, "These items are often of high value but once stolen are very difficult for police to identify conclusively. The use of modern DNA products allows an owner to mark their property making it unique and when officers recover property they can then restore it to the owner along with proof that it was stolen to the satisfaction of the courts. I would urge anyone with high value property which might be targeted to consider buying these products in an effort to secure them."

[Story sent in from David Marlow of IBS Reclaim Ltd, if you have any stories you think might be of interest please send them to Salvo]

BBC NEWS

Three village post boxes stolen

Three Royal Mail post boxes have been stolen from villages in west Somerset.

The boxes all contained mail and two were taken with their stands and concrete fixings - leaving a hole in the ground. The third was cut off.

Police believe the boxes were probably taken as items of memorabilia rather than for scrap metal. "There is a market for them - through a reclamation yard or an internet auction site - you could expect to pay anything between £200 and £400. They are all clearly identifiable so if anyone is concerned about an item they have or are offered for sale we can easily see if it is one that has been taken from the area." Insp Samuel Williams said.

BBC News

The increasing problem of metal theft

At a time of high global demand for raw materials, thieves are targeting many types of metal, typically lead and copper but also increasingly steel. Whilst roofs are the most likely targets, particularly on churches, other sources such as rainwater goods, lightning conductors and statues in the grounds are all at risk.

By the end of 2007, Ecclesiastical, the main insurer of churches, reported claims of over ten million Pounds. Lead sheet was the main target, but a significant proportion of this cost was making good damage caused by the thieves and the subsequent ingress of water. English Heritage believes that 'the dramatic increase in theft has come about because of spiraling prices caused by worldwide demand for lead-acid batteries, both for vehicles and UPS (uninterrupted power supplies) and more recently because of speculator activity this rising market price has attracted. Significant amounts of lead have been stock-piled and kept from the market to encourage prices to rise. Prices started to fall by the start of 2008 as new sources of supply opened up.'

English Heritage has issued specific guidance on metal theft in view of the intensification of the problem in recent months, particularly on lead roofs on churches. The guidance highlights the importance of prevention and the need to use a combination of security measures to deter thieves. Many of the options suggested are low cost but effective measures like locking gates to prevent vehicles getting close, preventing easy access to roofs such as removing water butts and waste bins, applying anti-climb paint to drain pipes and roof guttering, and erecting prominent warning signs.


[Salvo would encourage anyone who has had lead roofing or any other antique or architectural item stolen to raise a Salvo Theft alert. These are charged at 2p per day and are viewed by the thousands of people who look at SalvoWEB everyday.]


English Heritage


Salvo Theft Alerts

Milestone Appeal

The Wharf public house, Staffordshire

Police in Staffordshire are appealing for information following the theft of a 200 year old milestone. The short cast iron post was taken from outside The Wharf public house at some time between 4pm on Wednesday 13th February and 7.30am on Thursday 14th February. It is inscribed with the mileage to Audley, Natwich and Norbury.

Anyone with information should contact the chase Divisional Crime Bureau on 08453 3021010 quoting the reference number CA/014444/08 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Netted with a fishing rod

Peter Wilson Fine art Auctioneers of Nantwich, Cheshire UK

It is believed that thieves used fishing rods to catch six paintings and reel them in via the barred windows of an auctioneer's viewing gallery. The thieves got round the auctioneer's sophisticated alarm system by smashing windows before "fishing" the paintings from the viewing gallery.

The paintings are supposed to have been stolen to order. The haul includes three signed paintings by Arthur Delaney valued between £3500 and £4500 each.

The problem of plant thefts

"Its about time equipment manufacturers and plant workers took theft seriously," said Tim Purbrick the managing director of plant security specialists TER. Recently on one site in London thieves took a telehandler and put it, and £100,000 of other stolen equipment in to a auction in Holland.

A few weeks later they went back for the replacement. That was recovered in Harwich Docks, with £250,000 of other stolen equipment. The thieves look finally ran out when the police caught them going back to the same site.

Sleeping with a Pig

Grand Junction, Colorado USA

A Grand Junction man has been ordered to spend 24 years in prison for possessing a bronze pig statue taken from the city's main street.

Forty two year old Daniel Vigil learned his sentence Monday in Mesa County District Court. A jury convicted Mr Vigil in January on one felony count of theft by receiving. The pig statue was found in a stolen trunk in which Mr Vigil was living, last April. Mesa County District Judge Valerie Robinson said that the conviction was Mr Vigil's fourth on felony charges, and she declared him a habitual offender.

Increase in metal theft

The BMRA (British Metals Recycling Association) has said that new regulations won't stamp out metal thefts. They have reported an increase in metal thefts and some of its members are reporting thefts daily. However, it said that as each licensed metal recycling site has to comply with more than 15 sets of legislation including the Scrap Metal Dealers' Act (requiring name, address and vehicle registration of people selling metal), more legislation would not help.

BMRA director Lindsay Milington, said: "Metals recycling is already one of the UK's most heavily regulated sectors and further legislation would only serve to encourage more illegal and unlicensed trading of metals. we are working closely with all relevant authorities on this issue."

Seized or Recovered?

Art Loss Review Jan 08 - Letter to the Editor

Sir,

I am trying to encourage people, especially in the media, to correctly apply the terms recovered and seized with respect to stolen goods.

In my view an item is not recovered until it has been proved to have been stolen, and returned to its rightful owners. The police normally seize goods they believe to have been stolen, and these goods remain seized until an owner claims them, at which point they become recovered.

Therefore most of your 'Recovered by Sussex Police' type of ads should say 'Seized by Sussex Police'. When seized goods are not subsequently claimed by their owners, they cannot be defined as recovered, and are often returned to the criminal who allegedly stole them, some time later. These goods could properly be described as released from seizure, but could hardly be called unrecovered. I believe that the police, public and government would better understand the concept of seizure and recovery if the correct words are applied. I would be interested to hear your views.

Yours etc
Thornton Kay
Salvo Llp
www.theft-alerts.com

Stolen Buddha

Shambala Retreat, Findhorn Bay Scotland




A three foot high gold Buddha statue has been stolen from Shambala Retreat a spiritual center in Findhorn Bay. It is understood to have been taken sometime between 11pm on Wednesday 9 January and 8.30am the following day.

"Police think that we are probably targeted by professional thieves," said Shambala's spokes woman. Police said that it would have taken at least two people with a car to carry away the heavy object, which is a female depiction of the Buddha of Compassion. She in the sitting position, with her right hand resting on her right leg, her arm raised in front of her body and golden flowers raised behind each shoulder, wearing a gold tiara with gold leaves.

Police have appealed for anyone who might have seen anything. Anyone with any information, or who is offered any large religious statues for sale, should contact Grampian Police on 0845 600 5700 or call the confidential Crimestoppers freephone 0800 555111.

Forres Gazette

St Michael has been stolen

Manchester, uk -
Some of you may remember St Michael from the previous Salvo fair, sadly since relocating to new premises Laurence from Instu in Manchester has lost St Michael, who was stolen from his new premises at the begin of April. After reporting it stolen with the police there followed an amusing anecdote-

Laurence: I had a statue of St. Michael stolen. It's 3 metres high by about 2 metres wide. He's got a huge sword and he's slaying a snake with it

Police: Any distinguishing features?

Laurence: pardon...

(The item is listed on Salvo theft alerts)

Spain claims sunken Inca treasure ship . . . and so do the Incas

Tampa, Florida USA - LAWYERS are preparing for battle over the spoils from a sunken Inca treasure galleon found in international waters off the coast of Spain by Odyssey Marine Explorations. The hoard contained 17 tons of gold and silver, believed to have come from the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes, sunk off the coast of Portugal by the British.

John Andersen of the Washington Post writes:
British warships spotted the Spaniards in October 1804 and ordered them to change course and sail for England. Bustamente refused, a battle erupted, and Spain's 36-gun Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes exploded and sank, "breaking like an egg, dumping her yolk into the deep," according to a Spanish account. The ship took with it more than a million silver dollars freshly minted in Spain's American colonies, documents of the time suggest. The lost booty became the stuff of legend, one of the world's great sunken treasures. This spring, modern technology caught up with sea-hunting lore when a U.S.-based salvage company, Odyssey Marine Explorations, announced that it had found a 17-ton hoard of silver and gold artifacts, including about 500,000 coins, at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Estimated value: $500 million. But Odyssey, citing a need to keep looters at bay, isn't saying where it found the wreck, except that it was in international waters in the Atlantic, and claims to be unsure what ship it has found. It has given the wreck the code name Black Swan. But people familiar with the search say the evidence points to the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes. Odyssey's secrecy has touched off a three-month international legal battle. Spanish officials, convinced that the loot could be Spain's, filed suit in the United States to force disclosure of the wreck's name and location, block future recovery efforts and claim what has already been hauled up. The Spanish coast guard has effectively barricaded Odyssey's main salvage vessel, the 251-foot Odyssey Explorer, in the port of Britain's overseas territory of Gibraltar, by threatening to seize it if it ventures out. The fight renews a dispute between archaeologists and commercial salvors over rights to historic wrecks, a quarrel that is growing as new search technology and submersible robots bring to light more graves of ancient ships. It has raised old tensions between Spain on one side and Gibraltar and its mother country, Britain, on the other. And it has pitted a small, Tampa-based U.S. company, which essentially argues that finders are keepers, against Spain, which says it has a right to protect its national heritage.

Not so fast . . . Peru, former home to the Inca civilization, plundered and looted by Spain, is now saying that the gold and silver was stolen from them by the Spanish, a historically fair point one would have thought. Two slight problems: Peru was not a sovereign country in 1804, and did the Inca give the gold to Spain or was it taken by force?

New York Times | Washington Post

Stolen Vulcan recovered, man arrested, inside job

Corvallis, Oregon USA - Corvallis police recovered a statue stolen in June from Delta Chi fraternity at Oregon State University and arrested a suspect in the theft on Tuesday.

The 3-foot-tall bronze statue of the Roman god Vulcan was stolen from Delta Chi the night of June 10, and has been estimated to be worth as much as $100,000.

Corvallis police received a phone call Tuesday, after a newspaper article announced the fraternity's insurance company was offering a $5,000 reward for the statue's safe return, or for information leading to the arrest and successful prosecution of the thief.

According to police, the person who called was someone who had knowledge of who had taken the statue and where it was being kept. Acting on information from the phone tip, detectives went to a private residence in the 400 block of Northwest 10th Street, and recovered the statue, which was hidden in the basement.

Corvallis Gazette

NOTE: The model of the Vulcan statue above is believed to be based on the world's largest cast iron statue, of VULCAN, modelled by Giuseppe Moretti (1857—1935) and made as the entry of Birmingham, Alabama, for the 1904 St Louis world fair.