A survey on the theft of cultural property from inside listed or scheduled buildings open to the public
The focus of this research is on the theft of cultural property from inside listed or scheduled buildings that are freely open to the public in England, such as churches.
This survey has been developed to canvass the opinion of those associated with and interested in the protection of England’s historic environment. The aim is to explore the extent, patterns and perceptions of theft of cultural property from inside listed or scheduled buildings that are open to the public. The research does not include theft from buildings where payment is required to enter or where access is controlled, such as at museums.
For the purposes of this research the term 'cultural property' will mean:
‘Any property, whether fixed to the building, free standing or portable that is clearly of some artistic, archaeological or architectural interest, whether formerly identified as such or not.’
The findings will be compiled in a report that will inform the development of more effective risk assessment processes and crime prevention measures and will be made available on Historic England’s website.
Why this is important
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.
How you could help us
What follows are several questions concerning crime against listed or scheduled buildings. We would like you to answer these questions as they relate to the listed or scheduled building(s) which you are associated with and/or most familiar. The information you provide will be confidential and anonymous. Only the stated UCL authors will have access to individual survey responses, and the final report will only comprise aggregate responses with no comments being traceable to specific people, agencies or places.
Thank you for your time and effort in completing this survey.
The research team
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Department of Security and Crime Science
University College London
Contact: http://goo.gl/forms/uX1FQukBSi
March 2016
