The practical use of police databases of stolen works of art in the protection of national heritage in selected European Union countries

Jacek Dworzecki

doi:10.46284/mkd.2021.9.2.6

Abstract

The effectiveness in the protection of works of art constituting national heritage depends on many factors. These factors include, among other things, binding legal regulations within the scope of the protection of works of art and national heritage sites, good organisation of police forces specialising in this type of activities and cooperation in this field with other state and local government institutions and the wider society. Apart from police officers’ commitment and experience, police databases that are dedicated to works of art also play an extremely important role. This article presents selected police databases devoted to works of art that are currently used by police organisations and the role of these databases in protecting national heritage in selected European Union countries. The content of the article was prepared on the basis of the analysis of literature, existing legislation and interviews with police officers and experts. The information obtained during the interviews was subjected to qualitative analysis and presented in a descriptive version

Highlights

The global art market is growing dramatically and it continues to undergo significant transformations.1 The value of sales on the auction market is increasing, and new price records are being set
This type of action incorporates information from IT databases maintained by police units established to protect security, including combating crime related to works of art or carrying out other solutions that result in the protection of cultural heritage
External parties that deal with the art market in Germany have indirect access to the information included in the NNSACH database

Summary

Introduction

The global art market is growing dramatically and it continues to undergo significant transformations. The value of sales on the auction market is increasing, and new price records are being set. The vast majority of attempts to sell stolen works of art (according to Interpol’s estimates, over 95%) take place on the black market Most activities of this type appear in the Internet space, mainly on the so-called Dark Web. For centuries, the illegal acquisition of works of art has taken place in areas affected by armed conflict, and the perpetrators of such theft are professional criminals taking advantage of the opportunity, and soldiers of the warring parties or occupiers.. Apart from regular cooperation in combating criminal offenses, organise international, coordinated activities aimed at recovering stolen works of art This type of action incorporates information from IT databases maintained by police units established to protect security, including combating crime related to works of art or carrying out other solutions that result in the protection of cultural heritage. TREIMA is integrated with two databases of the Ministry of Culture, i.e. the MERIMEE

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