How Long Before We See Eastern European Knocker Boys, Good Mornski Mam, Looking For Old Antiquiski's

Thieves, the next generation !!

EASTERN EUROPE GANG’S GEMS RAID

AN eight-year-old boy was among a gang of jewellery thieves who raided an antiques shop in Ulverston yesterday.

Five men and their young accomplice stole £3,000 worth of gold jewellery from the Isis shop on Market Place.

Sharp-eyed owner Pam Livermore stopped the gang — described as eastern European — from escaping with more after spotting the gang’s tiny “Artful Dodger” with his hands in a display cabinet.

The loot included five gold rings and gold bracelets.

Mrs Livermore said: “It was scary. I couldn’t approach them because there were so many of them and I was on my own.

“They were talking a foreign language and I asked them where they were from and they told me they were Polish, but I’m not sure whether I believe them.

“The men were trying to distract me by looking at the gold chains, then I noticed the boy had his hand in a cabinet.

“They left and we’ve now discovered they took about £3,000 of gold jewellery. It’s a shock to have something like this happen. I’m very upset today, but we will be opening the shop.”

Police — who suspect the group may gave travelled up from Morecambe — are appealing for witnesses to the theft, which took place at 12.15pm yesterday.

They believe the six may be serial jewellery thieves and are linking the crime to similar incidents in Grange, Whitehaven and Mary-port.

An Ulverston police spokesman said: “We believe there could be a link between these incidents because of the modus operandi and in each case jewellery was stolen.

“Today we will be speaking to officers who have dealt with the other cases.

“We believe the gang to be of eastern European origin and the child to be around eight years old.

“No further description is available at this stage.”

The men are described as dark skinned and aged between 34 and 45.

Anyone with any information can contact Ulverston police on 0845 3300 247.

REAL LIFE ARTFUL DODGER ON CCTV


THIS is the real-life Artful Dodger who is being used to steal thousands of pounds worth of gold in South Cumbria.

The gang of ruthless jewellery raiders employ the eight-year-old in a similar role to the juvenile thief in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist.

The four adult accomplices distract store staff while the boy helps himself to goods.

But police are confident they will nail the "Dodger" and his gang after they were caught on CCTV during an unsuccessful attempt to steal from Johnston’s Jewellers in Grange.

This raid was followed by the theft of £3,500 worth of gold rings and bracelets from an Ulverston antiques shop.

Johnston’s owner Gary Johnston told the Evening Mail: "We had three members of staff watching them so I think they realised they weren’t going to get away with anything from us.

"I’m relieved my staff were so vigilant. When I heard about the Ulverston theft I was shocked. You don’t like to hear about such things happening. I got in touch with the police straight away and handed over our CCTV tapes.

"We have good security here. Our valuables are kept locked away and we have the CCTV camera."

Police are now warning businesses in Furness and South Lakeland to be on their guard after at least five jewellers and banks in Morecambe, Seascale, Whitehaven and Workington, as well as Grange and Ulverston, were targeted. The biggest haul came from Pam Livermore’s

Isis antiques shop in Market Place, Ulverston, on Wednesday.

Mrs Livermore, who runs the shop with her husband Terry, said the morning after the raid: "It’s such a shock for something like this to happen. The men were speak ing a language I didn’t understand and distracting me by rifling through the gold chains.

"Then I noticed the kid with his hands in the bracelet cabinet and they escaped."

Police on Friday confirmed they are linking all the incidents.

A police spokeswoman said: "The group were filmed on CCTV cameras acting suspiciously at Johnston’s Jewellers in Grange shortly after a theft in Ulverston.

"The footage shows a boy of about seven to eight accompanied by four adult males believed to be of eastern European origin who are now being sought in connection with at least five incidents throughout the county.

"At about 12.15pm, £3,500-worth of gold rings and bracelets was taken from Isis antique shop.

"Two hours later the group are alleged to have fraudulently obtained £360 from a high street bank in Seascale."

The young boy was last seen wearing a distinctive woolly hat with a peak and a black jacket with red piping.

The men have all been described as being aged between 30 and 45, having dark hair, wearing black leather jackets and track suit bottoms.

One of the men is slightly older, with a receding hairline.

Anyone who can identify the group or has any information regarding the incidents should contact DC Liz Wheatman on 0845 33 00 247.

In a separate incident three other eastern Europeans pulled a scam in Barrow’s Tesco store on Friday.

They produced approximately £260 and asked a cashier to change it into notes of a different denomination.

When that had been done they asked for it changing again, this time for different notes, as part of a nationwide scam called Ringing the Changes.

The staff member became confused and the three left having taken about £20.

The three all had dark skin and dark hair. They were around 5ft 3in tall, spoke broken English and are aged in their mid-20s to early 30s.

Shops, banks and customers are urged to be vigilant.

Anyone with information should contact Cumbria Police on 0845 33 00 247.

Ram Raiders Target Antiques

Antiques raiders escape with haul worth £20,000

A SILVER haul from an antiques shop in the historic village of Chilham netted raiders around £20,000 police have revealed.

Last night they issued pictures of the stolen antiques and silver items in the hope someone will recognise them.

A bronze garden statue of a male and female intertwined, mounted on a stand was taken along with an antique diamond cluster ring and an antique lamp stand.

A collection of hallmarked silver items was also taken including A fruit bowl centrepiece by Walker and Hall, from 1912, a pair of eight-inch candlesticks Chester HM, a set of 12 teaspoons and tongs in a case, a toast rack, a further pair of candlesticks, a fish slice, a teapot, a Rose bowl, a bowl, a small bon bon basket and a sterling silver bowl,

Anyone who thinks they might be able to help can call PC Darren Brough at Ashford station on 01233 896281 or the Crimestoppers Hotline on 0800 555111 which are free and anonymous.

Police injured in cash machine ram-raid

Two policemen were left with broken ankles as they arrested three men in a dramatic smash and grab on a supermarket cash machine in the early hours of Wednesday morning.Officers were called to the scene after reports crooks had tried to drive a digger into Sainsbury’s in Dymchurch Road, New Romney in a bid to pinch a cash machine at 3.15am.One of the officer’s injured broke his tibia bone and is expected to need surgery. Several police patrol cars were also damaged in the incident.The suspects are in their 20s and 30s. Police are still hunting a fourth man believed to have fled the scene.

Art Hostage comments: If Police join the dots and make the connection between these two raids I am sure they will solve the Antiques raid.

This may involve offering one of the arrested crooks for the ram raid a deal to inform on the Antiques raiders, who are all part of the same gangs.

A Pyrrhic Victory That Leaves A Bad Taste In The Mouth

Lawyer's €12 million fee in Nazi-looted art case is too high, Dutch court rules.

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: A lawyer's fee of €12 million (US$15.7 million) for negotiating the return of art stolen by the Nazis was too high, a court ruled Friday.

Lawyer Roelof van Holthe tot Echten submitted the multimillion-dollar bill for arranging the return of hundreds of works that had belonged to a Jewish art dealer who fled the Netherlands at the start of World War II.

The heirs of Jacques Goudstikker contested the bill, so the lawyer sought to block the return of 198 works being held by the Dutch government until he was paid 20 percent of the estimated value.

Goudstikker's daughter-in-law Marei von Saher and his granddaughters Charlene and Chantal von Saher, who live in Connecticut, refused, offering to pay an hourly rate instead.

The Hague District Court sided in part with the descendants, allowing them to ship the works to the United States.

It awarded Van Holthe tot Echten at least €1.9 million (US$2.5 million), or €325 (US$425) per hour, but suggested that amount should be quadrupled to €7.6 million (US$10 million) to reflect the risk the lawyer took in working on the case for so long with uncertain prospects for payment.

"A multiplication factor of four is not unreasonable, under the given circumstances," the court said in its written ruling. It left it up to both sides to negotiate the exact amount.

The ruling opens the question of what the Goudstikker heirs will be left with in the end. Evidence cited in the ruling suggested another Dutch lawyer might seek up to 20 percent of the value of the collection, U.S. lawyers another 10 percent, and a U.S. art historian who helped research the case yet another 10 percent.

Christie's estimated the collection, which includes masterpieces by Jan Steen and Salomon van Ruysdael, is worth from US$79 million-US$110 million (€56 million-€84 million).

The Von Saher's new lawyer, Rob Polak, said the amount cited in Friday's ruling was "higher than we believe is reasonable, but the judge had to make an estimate."

He said he was confident the bill would be reduced further in the next phase of proceedings.

Goudstikker, who in the 1930s was the Netherlands' biggest art dealer, fled at the start of the war with his wife and young son, leaving behind an estimated 1,300 artworks.

He died after falling through a trap door on an outbound ship.

After the Nazis invaded, around 800 pieces of artwork were seized by Hitler's right-hand man, Hermann Goering. About 300 of them, mostly by Dutch artists, were returned to the government after the war.

A few were auctioned, but 267 works worth tens of millions of dollars (euros) remained in art museums around the Netherlands.

Goudstikker's daughter-in-law began seeking the recovery of the Dutch works in 1996, but the courts upheld a 1952 settlement with Goudstikker's widow, Desiree. She had accepted a bad deal rather than nothing, under protest and not knowing the extent of the Dutch government's holdings.

But after an international debate began, in the late 1990s, on compensating Jews for stolen Holocaust-era assets, an independent commission recommended that the Dutch government return the works.

Rudi Ekkart, chairman of the commission, said in 2003 that the case "screamed to heaven."

"Those who were robbed but survived the war were then cowed by bureaucrats."

On Friday, he told Dutch NOS television he was saddened by the fight over lawyers' fees.

"It gives the impression ... the whole policy of returning works is based on the claims by people that only see dollar signs in their eyes," he said.

Hundreds of other works Goering took, including pieces by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Velasquez, Goya, Rubens, Brueghel, Titian and Tintoretto, remain lost.

A handful of others were returned to the family by buyers after their origin became known, including the Israel Museum, Germany's Lower Saxony State Museum and one owned by a private American collector.

The Associated Press
Published: February 16, 2007

Art Hostage comments:

There is something distasteful about all the deductions taken by Lawyers, historians, Auction houses and the like.
I ask myself, what if the rightful owners wanted to keep the works of art for theirs and the public's enjoyment?

However, if this is what it takes to restore every last looted artwork stolen by Nazi Germans during the darkest days of modern history, reluctantly I would agree to a fair reward for the efforts and work conducted by these hangers on.

Although, I think the costs of lawyers should be paid by those demonic institutions that refused to hand back stolen artworks unless ordered to by the courts.

Normally when a work of art is restored to its rightful owner the legal costs should be met by the losing side, why is this not the case?

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam hides many Dark secrets.

It is the Dutch Museums/Government that should be forced to pay the legal costs, and other costs incurred in getting the rightful heirs their own, I repeat own, property back, especially in this case.

Perhaps if the Governments that still hold many looted artworks were to be held liable for lawyers costs as well as the works of art themselves, then they may think twice before resisting noble requests from survivors and their descendants.

We must never forget the dreadful circumstances in which these works of art were stolen/looted.

The screams from Heaven are deafening for all except those who harbour anti-Semitic resentments.

Lord/Lady Archer's Sheep return to the Flock !!

Stolen Archer statues discovered by police

Publisher: Ian Morgan
Published: 13/02/2007 - 12:50:07 PM

Sculptures stolen from the garden of Lord and Lady Archer have been recovered by police.

The two life-sized pieces, including one of a naked shepherd, were stolen on February 6 while Mary Archer, 61, was in the house in Grantchester, near Cambridge.

A police spokeswoman said the sculptures were found yesterday evening three-quarters of a mile down a muddy track in Black Pit Drove, Willingham, Cambridgeshire.

She said no arrests had been made but investigations were continuing.

The spokeswoman said: "The sculptures had been concealed, and due to the size and weight of the sculptures and the remote location where they were found, specialist recovery and lifting equipment was used to recover the statues.

"The statues and material used to conceal them are now being kept in a secure site and will today undergo forensic examination."

The first piece, titled Shepherd and Sheep, is by Christopher Marvell and was installed in 1998.

The second, titled Girl Doing a Handstand, is by family friend the late Sydney Harpley and was commissioned in 1986.

Shepherd and Sheep attracted notoriety two years ago when Margaret Crick's autobiography of Lady Archer revealed she had asked Mr Marvell to reduce the size of the shepherd's penis.

Lord and Lady Archer offered a reward of £1,000 for the return of the sculptures.

Lord and Lady Archer said today: "We are absolutely delighted that our stolen works of art have been safely recovered."

Copyright Press Association 2007

Art Hostage comments:

Way to go Lord Archer, your criminal contacts proved useful.

However, if you have paid a reward be warned, the Police will prosecute you under the 2002 Proceeds of Crime act so better keep quiet.

Furthermore, if you are considering paying a reward you may well want to think of the consequences of the handler going to the media at some later stage and this could come back to haunt you.

Well done for getting you bronzes back.

National Gallery's Continue to Wriggle, the Noble Fight for Justice Goes on !!

'Aryanised' ... the National Gallery of Victoria has been hit with a demand for the return of valuable Dutch masterpiece Lady with a Fan, allegedly looted by Nazis from a prominent Jewish family in the 1930s.


Claim on gallery's 'Nazi-loot' art

By Rick Wallace The Australian
February 13, 2007 01:00am


THE National Gallery of Victoria has been hit with a demand for the return of a valuable Dutch masterpiece allegedly looted by Nazis from a prominent Jewish family in the 1930s.

Lawyers for the descendants of the original owners of the Gerard ter Borch painting Lady with a Fan have issued a formal demand for the painting after informal talks over its ownership ended without agreement.

The painting is worth between $100,000 and $1 million. If the Emden family's claim is successful, the painting would be the first looted work in Australia to be returned to its Jewish owners.

The painting belonged to Jewish retail magnate Max Emden, who fled Hamburg ahead of Nazi rule leaving much of his massive art collection behind. His grandson, Chile-based Juan Carlos Emden, said the ter Borch painting was one of about 100 stolen during the Holocaust. Mr Emden is planning to visit Melbourne to demand the painting's return.

"There is no doubt that the painting was aryanised from the Max Emden collection in or about 1938," his request says, in response to demands from the NGV for Mr Emden to prove the ter Borch is rightfully his.

A spokeswoman said the gallery had begun assessing Mr Emden's claim. "The NGV has very clear policies about returning an artwork if it should be found to belong to another person. We welcome the fact that Mr Emden has now made a formal claim ... and we have accordingly instigated the process to assess it," she said.

Art Hostage comments;

We will be watching this one closely.

British Police, Over paid, over rated, and now Inherently Corrupt

In 2003, the Home Office estimated up to 2,000 officers and civilian staff were 'potentially corrupt'

Corrupt officers damage Met, says report

By Ben Leapman and Tom Harper, Sunday Telegraph

Last Updated: 1:36am GMT 11/02/2007



Police in Britain's biggest force are associating with criminals, taking drugs and misusing their warrant cards, a secret Scotland Yard report has revealed.


A wide-ranging corruption investigation, carried out last month, found "inappropriate relationships or criminal associations" among police officers and civilian staff posed "significant threats" to the Metropolitan Police Force.

The report says a growing number of officers and staff are taking drugs off duty. Cocaine and cannabis are the "drugs of choice" and drug testing has been introduced for junior officers.

Further concerns include the number of police employees accused of domestic violence and sexual assault while off duty, misuse of the Police National Computer and abuse of warrant cards and security passes by both serving and retired employees.

The report also reveals growing complaints about discriminatory behaviour by police, despite anti-racism training.

The damning findings of the Strategic Intelligence Assessment, carried out by the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards, were intended to remain secret. But the Metropolitan Police Authority released the report accidentally on its website last week before its members were due to discuss it.

After a complaint from Scotland Yard, the report was removed from the website and the discussion on Thursday was held behind closed doors. Asked by authority members why the session should be held in private, Asst Comm John Yates, who heads the Met's anti-corruption unit, simply said: "I do not want to explain why in a public forum."

The report, by Det Chief Supt Gregory Faulkner, says the assessment was intended to identify the "risk to the ethical health of the Met posed by corruption, dishonesty and unethical behaviour". It says one new area identified as a cause for concern is the outside business interests of Met employees, which are not recorded on a central register. The report warns "financial irregularities and debt issues have been identified", pointing to "the risk of corruption".

As a result, the Met is to review its policy on declaring business interests, with a view to ensuring that anti-corruption officers are made aware of employees whose outside interests might conflict with their policing duties.

"Pro-active monitoring" of staff email and internet use has helped to reduce the number of information leaks, the report says. Misuse of the criminal intelligence system has also decreased slightly.

The report adds: "Drug and alcohol abuse by Met employees remains a significant threat to public confidence, specifically in safety-critical posts. Intelligence shows misuse of controlled substances by staff has risen slightly, with cocaine and cannabis the drugs of choice."

Under new procedures, Met officers accused of committing violent crimes while off duty will undergo a risk assessment to determine what danger they pose.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "The vast majority of Met staff are hard working and professional, but it is the responsibility of the Directorate of Professional Standards to identify the risks posed to the organisation by the very small minority who behave in a dishonest, unethical or un-professional manner.

Behaviour of this sort is investigated swiftly and thoroughly and, where there is sufficient -evidence of criminal behaviour, through the courts."

Defending the decision to suppress the report, the spokesman added: "The Met considered that there would be a more open and productive discussion about the issues in a non-public forum."

Corruption is a long standing problem for police chiefs. In 2003, the Home Office estimated up to 2,000 officers and civilian staff were "potentially corrupt".

Art Hostage comments:

As with most estimates this is only about 10% of the real figure.

That means there are 20,000 potentialy corrupt Police Officers and civilian staff .

The overhaul of the way Informants are handled was meant to stop corruption of Police Officers.

This news shows that corruption is as high as ever and all that has happened is Informants refuse to give intelligence to Police.

A case of shooting ones self in the foot.

Theft is theft, is theft, is theft, You Cannot be Half-Pregnant !!

Justice is a higher value than culture

By Bobby Brown

Culture and justice are both indicators by which the well-being of modern society can be measured. Culture asks questions about our collective identity. It enables us to observe our fellow human beings and to evaluate events and individuals that live in our collective consciousness. Justice protects modern society. It guards the individual, offers comfort to those who have been harmed, and provides a warning to those who would harm others. Two words, two concepts - we aspire to increase their presence both in our life and in our communal environment. But what happens when culture and justice clash, when a society must decide on preferences and priorities? Such is the situation facing the State of Israel today.

Some of the most breathtaking paintings in the world, foremost among them the treasures of the Louvre and those of other fine French public collections, are slated to be exhibited in Israeli museums and galleries in the near future. The old masters, Impressionists and expressionists, Modernists and Classicists, will be a banquet to our eyes and a festival to our thoughts. Or will they?

France is requesting a seemingly inconsequential prerequisite before opening the floodgates of the Israeli public's access to cultural expression. In order for Israelis to see these treasures, Paris has demanded the adoption of a law that would bar legal action in Israel by those who claim title to those paintings, including works which may have been looted by the German Third Reich or its henchmen throughout Europe during the Holocaust era.


They have been gripped by the fear of international precedents such as art treasures loaned to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which were the subject of intense legal wrangling initiated by the owners of these works, the heirs of Holocaust victims, whose parents lost their property − and their lives − during the Nazi atrocities. And while the wrangling continued, the artworks could not be returned to the museums whence they came. The French are not willing to risk their cultural
patrimony in Israel.

So much for justice.

Beside accomplishing the greatest murder rampage in human history, the Nazis could also boast of being world-class art thieves. The Third Reich ran teams of art experts who criss-crossed Europe looking for great works of art. Whether they were 'degenerate' pieces to be sold for cash in Geneva or more conventional pieces to be placed in the Goering collection or the great museums of Naziland, objets d'art were trophies sought after by the Nazi leadership everywhere. Jews didn't only have their art stolen after their deportation; they were often deported in order [for Nazis] to steal their art.

After 60 years and a monumental struggle, a new sensitivity has taken hold in museums and auction houses. After years of efforts to place this issue on the international agenda, we have now reached the situation in which 'problematic' provenance of artworks does make a difference in values and sales procedures. With the Internet, it is getting harder to hide the paintings that hung in the salons of our parents and grandparents. However, many European countries place obstacles in front of claimants trying to retrieve these 'national' treasures by judicial means from the cultured societies who count them among their cultural jewels, leaving survivors and their heirs essentially locked out of, or unable to afford, due process in order retrieve that which was stolen from their families. It is precisely to preserve this single path to claimants that the French and others are requiring that the Knesset pass a law to safeguard art loans made to Israel's museums.

This presents a dilemma for Israel, a clash between culture and justice. If the Knesset votes for culture, it will effectively be sanctioning the status quo still prevalent in too many countries that is preventing the return of property to its rightful heirs. If it votes for justice, and takes a principled stand that the Israeli courts recognize the supreme right of Holocaust survivors and their heirs to claim back what once belonged to them, irrespective of which country housed these treasures since the end of World War II − it will, in all likelihood, place Israel outside the rich world of international cultural exchanges and deprive its public of viewing these great works on their home territory.

Will the Knesset enact such a law? For me, at least, there is no clash, no struggle between culture and justice. I don't want to see stolen pictures at an exhibition, especially if I know that the pictures' rightful owners have not been able to retrieve them. For me, the right of individuals to reclaim property stolen from their family during the Holocaust is paramount to all other issues. Justice is a higher value than culture and the Israeli Knesset should declare this in the clearest and most unequivocal terms. We may have to content ourselves with seeing reproductions. It's a price worth paying, especially if it ensures that we uphold what the Torah calls tzedek [justice].

At the Conference on Looted Nazi art held in Vilna in October 2000, a very courageous member of Knesset, Colette Avital, asked the ambassador representing France to whom her father's siddur [prayer book], sitting in a French warehouse, belongs. The French ambassador replied, "Madame, it belongs to France." I for one don't want to see that siddur, or any other property stolen from my people, on display.

The writer is a member of the board of directors of the Company for Locating and Retrieving Assets of People who were Killed in the Holocaust, Ltd.

Art Hostage comments:

Never, never, never give up the fight to retore every last artwork, heirloom and lock of hair taken during the darkest days of modern history.

A Sheep Without Sheep's Clothing !!

We've been fleeced!

VALUABLE bronze sculptures have been stolen from the front garden of Lord and Lady Archer's home.

Thieves cut through a neighbouring wire fence and backed a van into the grounds of the Old Vicarage in Grantchester on Tuesday evening.

When she woke on Wednesday morning she discovered the Shepherd and Sheep statues by Fulbourn sculptor Christopher Marvell were missing, along with Handstand by the late Sydney Harpley.

Lady Archer said: "They are both original works of art of considerable real value, and sentimental value.

"It is very upsetting. They both have great sentimental value, and Sydney Harpley, who died in 1992, was a personal friend."

Shepherd and Sheep consists of five statues - a shepherd with four sheep. It was bought by the couple in 1998.

Handstand, which is a statue of a girl doing a handstand, has been in their garden since 1986.


Lady Archer believes two or three men would have been needed to lift the heavy sculptures.

CCTV cameras at The Orchard Tea Gardens in Mill Way, which is next to the Old Vicarage, captured two men backing up a white van to the wire fence, and stealing the sculptures between 6.15pm and 7.15pm.

Det Sgt Dean Wiffin, investigating, said: "We would like to speak to anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area of Mill Way last night. These sculptures would have needed a large vehicle to move them and I would like to hear from anyone who remembers seeing a van in the area."

Police are investigating the possibility the incident may be linked to a spate of metal thefts, with thieves targeting sculptures, plumbing supplies, cables and lightning rods to sell on as scrap.

In June 2006 Margaret Thatcher was invited to the Old Vicarage to unveil a statue of Rupert Brooke, the First World War poet who immortalised the Old Vicarage in his poem of the same name, which contains the famous lines: "Stands the church clock at ten to three, And is there honey still for tea?"

Lady Archer is chairman of the Addenbrooke's NHS Trust, and her husband Jeffrey, the disgraced former MP who was jailed for perjury, is currently playing one of 12 jurors in a new BBC2 programme The Verdictwhich starts on Sunday, as well as giving away his own money to make "people's dreams come true" in ITV show Fortune: Million Pound Giveaway.

Anyone with information should call Cambridgeshire Constabulary on 0845 4564564 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.


08 February 2007
First appeared in the Cambridge Evening News

Thieves half-inch Archer's large statues
08.02.07
This is London by Evening Standard

He has written about crime. He has been in jail himself. But today Jeffrey Archer found himself the victim of crime after thieves stole a life-sized sculpture of a naked shepherd and four sheep from the garden of his home outside Cambridge.

The sculpture, together with a bronze of a naked girl doing a handstand, were stolen from his Grantchester home on Tuesday night after thieves cut a hole in the garden fence.

Detectives fear that the pieces may already have been melted down for scrap to be sold abroad.

Lord Archer's wife Mary, who was in the house at the time, said they were going to offer a reward for information leading to the recovery of the pieces, which are thought to be worth tens of thousands of pounds.

"I am very angry, and very sad at the vandalism and possible destruction of lovely works of art," she said.

The thieves - two men in a van - were captured on the Archers' CCTV as they carried out the theft.

Lady Archer, 62, said: "A van arrived at 6.15pm on Tuesday evening, in a neighbours' front area, which unfortunately is not secure. It backs against the boundary fence between the two properties. They cut a hole in the wire mesh fence and entered our garden.

"They helped themselves to some tools out of our tool shed, then removed the statues, which is not easy to do because they were securely fixed in place. I would think it would have taken two men quite considerable effort to move them. They left at 7.57pm."

Girl Doing A Handstand was bought from the late sculptor Sydney Harpley in 1986 while Shepherd And Sheep was made for them by Christopher Marvell in 1998. The piece attracted notoriety two years ago when a biography of Lady Archer by Margaret Crick revealed that Lady Archer had asked Mr Marvell to reduce the size of the shepherd's penis.

Police say the break-in is the latest in a series of metal thefts in the region and believe that scrap is being stolen and shipped for recasting. A spokeswoman said. "We suspect it is being re-used in China and the Far East."

Detective Sergeant Dean Wiffin added: "The sculptures were sawn off their base before being taken from the garden. These sculptures would have needed a large vehicle to move them."

The sculptures were all acquired over the years by Lord Archer, 66, the multi-millionaire novelist and former Conservative Party vice-chairman who was jailed for four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice at the Old Bailey in 2001.

"It is mainly Jeffrey's thing,î said Lady Archer. "My thing is more the house itself and its furnishings. Jeffrey is more the works of art. But I love having them around."

Among the other pieces they own are a girl in a deckchair, naked apart from a sunhat, and another statue called Sun Workshiper.

There is also a stone relief caricature - technically a "grotesque" - of Lord Archer himself. That was not stolen.


Art Hostage comments:

It is all very well offering a reward Mary, but the 2002 Proceeds of Crime Act prevents rewards being paid.

I am afraid your honourable offer will fall on deaf ears.

For more information on rewards just get Lord Archer to talk to Lord Rothschild, who tried, in vain, by offering a reward for the recovery of his £100 million gold box collection, Police threatened Lord Rothschild and Ex Scotland Yard Art Detective Charles Hill, that they would be prosecuted if they paid a reward for the Gold Boxes.

The Mexican Stand Off continues.

Britain: Europe's burglary capital

This Is London from the Evening Standard

Who Says Britain/Ireland Cannot be the Best in Europe?

Britain/Ireland, Europe's Crime Capitals, Vacuous Societies of Avarice!!

Britain is the most burgled country in Europe, a disturbing crime survey reveals.

Levels of assault are also the highest across the EU, while car theft, robbery and sex offences are well above average.

More here:

• Foreign officers may help police event, says Yard

• Police Performance Assessment tables 2005/06

• Jump up and down and shout to beat street crime

• Latvian criminals let into Britain were thugs in home country

• Met spent £3.5m flying overseas on crime probes

• Latest news from the Daily Mail online

In the overall crime league, the UK comes second only to Ireland, with more than a fifth of the population in both countries exposed to crime in the past year.

The findings are a blow to ministers who claim crime is falling, and to campaigners who claim the UK locks up too many offenders compared with other European countries.

Comprehensive research discovered that an astonishing five per cent of the population had suffered assault involving threats of violence over the past year - the highest rate in Europe.

Particularly embarrassing for the Government is the clear link researchers found between levels of violent crime and alcohol consumption - at a time when booze-fuelled violence is rising in the wake of the 24-hour drinking reforms.

The European Crime and Safety Survey is a joint project involving the United Nations and the EU Commission involving some 40,000 interviews across the continent, and is described as 'the most comprehensive analysis of crime, security and safety ever conducted in the EU'.

Instead of relying on official crime data published by EU governments, the researchers started from scratch, asking huge numbers of adults about their experiences during 2004.

Measuring the level of common crimes across the EU, Britain was ranked second worst after Ireland.

The offences which were considered included vehicle related problems such as having a car stolen or something stolen from it, plus theft, burglary, robbery, rape and sexual assault, assaults and threats, hate crimes, consumer fraud, corruption - such as bribery by government officials or police - and exposure to drug-related problems, such as seeing drugs dealt or taken in public.

On average around 15 per cent of Europeans had been victims of one of the crimes over the past year, but in the UK the figure was 21 per cent and in Ireland 22.

Germany, France, Italy and Spain were all below average, with between nine and 14 per cent. Hungary's crime levels were only around half of those in Britain, while those in Portugal and Greece were almost as low.

Yet England and Wales has more prisoners per head of population, at 148 per 100,000, than any other country in Western Europe apart from Luxembourg. In Germany the rate is 94 while in France it is just 85.

The prison population in England and Wales has soared to record levels of more than 80,000 - up from around 60,000 in 1997 when Labour came to power - leaving the system in crisis as ministers struggle against chronic and worsening overcrowding.

Opponents of imprisonment claim the jails are full because of a Draconian approach to law and order which sees too many criminals locked up.

But the EU report suggests that in fact levels of crime in the UK are so high that it would be justified to imprison even greater numbers of offenders.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: 'There is no doubt that because of the Government's failure to address the chronic lack of capacity in our prisons people that should be in jail are not in jail.

'This has more than one negative consequence. Not only are offenders not being properly punished, they also have no chance of receiving proper rehabilitation which undoubtedly leads to higher re offending rates and more crime.'

While Labour ministers have trumpeted the fall in overall crime in the UK in recent years, the EU report shows that in reality Britain has lagged behind a much faster fall in other countries. It scored particularly badly in certain categories of crime.

Some 3.3 per cent of UK adults reported being burgled in the last year - tallying with Home Office figures showing around 733,000 burglaries at 25million households.

That is the highest level anywhere in Europe - against an average of 1.7 per cent - and is around double the rate in France and three times worse than Germany. The UK and Finland were also the only two countries where repeat surveys show a worsening burglary problem.

Britain also tops the league for car theft, with almost two per cent of owners hit in the past year, well over double the EU average.

The UK has the worst figure for 'assaults and threats' at 5.8 per cent, and is well above the EU average for pickpocketing and 'contact crimes' including robbery and sexual assaults.

The only glimmer of good news is that Britons have an 'extremely low chance' of being asked to pay bribes compared with other EU member states.

Mr Davis said: 'Ten years of Government failure have left the public more at risk from both property crime and violent crime than any other comparable country in Europe.'

LibDem spokesman Nick Clegg said Britain was the 'sick man of Europe' on crime, adding: 'The Government should ask itself why the prisons are at bursting point and yet the level of several crimes are still higher than elsewhere in the EU.'

Home Office Minister Tony McNulty dismissed the findings as 'three years out of date' and questioned the surveys 'quality and comparisons'.

He said it failed to take account of recent crime reduction measures and substantial falls in burglary since 1997.

This Is London Readers Comments:

We are leading the way in Europe. We have more crime and more criminals than any comparable country and the criminals have never had it so good. This government has helped to bring more criminals out of poverty than any other country as their income, in real terms, has increased year on year.

Sorry, just trying to imagine how Tony will spin his way out of this one.

- Dan, Manchester

Anyone who has spent more than five minutes on mainland Europe would know that Britain is a more violent, crime-ridden and anti-social place than almost anywhere to be found there.

It's just the Government won't say so!

- Steve R, London, UK

Things might improve if we were given a properly manned and funded Police Service which was not under political control. Forget about the recorded crime figures these do not include illegal drug supplying and drug taking offences or counterfeit currency offences which are only recorded when arrests are made for such. Then ask yourselves about the level of crime in this country whilst considering the growth in offences involving firearms - the growth in terrorism - and the almost daily allegations involving sedition/discrimination which are carried by the media and not investigated. I am afraid crime is almost in free fall.

- Robert, Hull, East Yorks.,

The reason is very simple. The crims know that there is little chance of them getting caught and even if they are they will most likely be sent on their way with a slap on the wrist and a few hours community service. They may even get an ASBO which will give them more street cred.

Of course if you don't pay your TV licence, refuse to pay the increase in your massive council tax bill, put the wrong rubbish in the wrong bin or stray into a bus lane then the full force of the law is brought down on your shoulders.

- Marc, Hatfield, UK

What lies will we hear at the dispatch box about this one?

- Bernard Lawson, London

Start by practicing proactive policing - get 'em back on the street instead of looking at video after the event.

Enact "castle doctrine" legislation so the public knows they can defend themselves without fear of reprisal.

Zero tolerance prosecution like Giuliani did in New York - do not ignore the minor offences instead start with them, let it be seen that anti-social behaviour is a dead end.

- Stan, Expat

Art Hostage comments:

No surprise to see both Ireland and Britain being the most crime ridden in Europe.

For the last two years Police have been investigating crime without the help of informants.

We now see the results of ability, competence and due diligence Police have when they are forced to work on their own.


This disgusting title is a direct result of the manner in which Informants are currently treated.

A 90% fall in intelligence gathering as well as a 95% fall in the numbers of registered informants is the cause of this outrageous dis-honourable title.


The saying "if you pay peanuts, you get Monkey's" comes to mind.

There is a logjam of vital intelligence just waiting to be acted upon, this is for sale as with other commodities.

As soon as Law Enforcement is prepared to pay for intelligence the sooner the crime figures will come down.

Until then it is a criminal free for all.

Finally, Law Enforcement have become so desperate for intelligence they are now trying desperately to extract intelligence from convicted criminals.

Police are visiting prisoners in prison, offering better conditions if convicted criminals inform on criminals on the outside.

This is a last ditch attempt to try and gain some intelligence on criminality on the cheap.

When this proves to be a failure then perhaps Law Enforcement will enter the Capitalist marketplace and purchase intelligence.

Britain is also the European capital of Avarice and is Europe's most vacuous society so it is of no surprise that intelligence on criminality will only be sold to Police, rather than given out of some kind of civic public duty.

Even law abiding honest British citizens, who would normally give information to Police if ever they came into possession of it, require a fee before they will even consider passing information to Police.

The "Loads of money" culture means "Charity's fine, subscribe to mine"

British, Booming, Burglary, Business !!

01/02/07


Burglaries prompt alert


Homeowners in the Vale of White Horse are being urged to be vigilant following a spate of burglaries.

In more than one case a pane of glass has been removed, suggesting the crimes are linked.

In the past week there have been four burglaries in villages along the A420.


Last Wednesday jewellery and ornaments were stolen from a property in Garford and jewellery worth several thousand pounds was taken during a break-in at a house in Fernham.

On Friday, a house in Ashbury was broken into but nothing taken.

On Saturday evening, offenders broke into a house in Stanford in the Vale. The burglars made off with cash and a pension book.

Police are linking the raids with a burglary in Little Coxwell in December, in which antiques were stolen.

Anyone with information should call Dc Chris Leech, of the Vale priority crime team, on 08458 505505. He urged residents to review their security arrangements, adding: "Make sure valuables are insured, and keep photos of them."

9:22am today

Art Hostage comments:

Talk about bolting the door after the Horse has gone.

The world of Stolen Art and Antiques seems to be booming.

Joy at $10m violin gift in land of beer and cricket

The Sydney Morning Herald

Clara Iaccarino Arts Writer
January 31, 2007


IT IS one of the finest instruments in the world, but Richard Tognetti has admitted he is a little cautious playing a violin worth $10 million.

"Rather than my best, it can bring out my worst," the Australian Chamber Orchestra's artistic director said yesterday. "I'm in awe of it, but it's rapidly becoming part of me."

The Carrodus, a violin made in 1743 by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu, is a gift to Tognetti and the ACO from an Australian benefactor who does not want to be named. One of only 100 made by del Gesu, it has been described as "one of the four or five finest of the finest" violins in the world, by the respected London dealer Charles Beare.

"It's so special," said Tognetti. "Apart from the fact that it sounds so beautiful, it hasn't been played since 1953. [The sound] is darker and richer. The weeping violin suits my style."

The world's best violins were made in northern Italy in the 18th century and Antonio Stradivari and del Gesu were the kings of the violin-making world. Del Gesu was the "maker of choice" for some of the greatest virtuosi of the 19th and 20th centuries including Nicolo Paganini.

Tognetti would not reveal the identity of the benefactor, but let it slip that he was a prominent businessman.

"He wants the focus to be on the violin and music, not him," he said. "Australia is not used to spending money on art. To put it into perspective it's one quarter of a Monet, or a decent-sized mansion in Vaucluse."

Before he acquired the Carrodus, named after John Carrodus, a leading English violinist of the Victorian era, Tognetti played on a 1759 J.B Guadagnini violin valued at $1.2 million. He never dreamed he would play on a del Gesu. "It has regal majesty," he said.

Tognetti never lets the violin out of his sight and keeps it in a safe when he's not playing it. He does not think it will be stolen - "it's essentially priceless" - but the risk of damage means he treats it with extreme respect.

Tognetti is full of praise for the investment the unnamed benefactor has made in cultivating Australian culture.

"It's an example of the European style of philanthropy," he said. "It's all too rare in this country of beer and cricket."

Art Hostage comments:

A good news story, something quite touching about it.
I wonder if the Violin is Tax Deductable ?

Historically, British Police are the Cream of British Society, "They are White, Thick, and Rise to the Top" !!

Who Let the Cat Out of the Bag ???????

The media have been mistaken as to the painting stolen from Bourton-on-the-Water in Gloucestershire. Last week, I wrote about the theft of a Joseph Farquharson from a private residence. I posted an image of the painting, but I posted the wrong painting because The Herald incorrectly stated the name of the painting. I received a kind email from Grizelda Graham, daughter of the 89 year-old theft victim. She wrote , "We don't know why the media have entitled our stolen painting 'sunlight and shade' - the title on the back of my painting is 'where snow the pastures sheets.' It is very beautiful, and we are keen to publicise its theft widely in the hope that someone will spot it and return it to us." This is the image of the stolen painting she gave me.

Hopefully the media will correct their mistake soon, and continue to publish the theft. I suggested she contact the Art Loss Register in her attempts to get the painting back.

http://illicit-cultural-property.blogspot.com/

Art Hostage comments:

Way to go Derek, good story, glad you have put the record straight.

Only problem is the Police are using a classic tactic about revealing the wrong title and image for the picture and allowing the thieves to think they have got a picture that will pass through the trade because the one listed is incorrect.

Before you revealed all, Police were hoping the picture may turn up because of the deliberate mistake.

Now the thieves/Handlers are aware of the correct listing the painting will go further underground, unless a dealer bought the picture thinking he could make a fast buck, or a dealer has paid good money for a previously unlisted picture and perhaps this dealer may want to hand it back.

However, to smoke out the current person in possession of 'where snow the pastures sheets.'

Grizelda Graham should consider offering a reward and then can get authorities to waive conditions, the dealer may come forward with the painting.

Furthermore, as outlined below in previous articles the strict conditions of paying a reward make it impossible for the money ever to be paid in reality, the 2002 proceeds of crime act prevents rewards being paid.

Until then Grizelda Graham, I am sorry to say, "Don't hold your breath"

The British Police are the Cream of British Society, they are mostly:

"White, Thick, and rise to the top."

Keystone Cops Plead With Criminal For Return of Stolen Art !!

Hopeless Dawn By Frank Bramley, above, a reflection of the Hopeless British Police !!!


If the World is a Circus, then the British Police are the Clowns !!


Dick Ellis, ex head and founder of Scotland Yards Art and Antiques Squad is incandescent with rage at the complete incompetence of both Hampshire and Sussex Police.

Detective Richard Skillan of Hampshire Police is the investigating officer into a spate of high value art robberies that have taken place in Hampshire, Southern England, in the last year or so.

Among the stolen items are a number of high value Silver items that have been traced (not recovered) by Dick Ellis to a Brighton, Sussex, Antiques Dealer.

Dick Ellis passed this information to Det Richard Skillan.


Det Richard Skillan duly contacted Sussex Police and requested permission and co-operation in executing a search warrant.

Sussex police replied that:

"We (Sussex Police) are not interested in solving art crime, and any other type of crime, committed outside of the borders of Sussex and by refusing to co-operate with Hampshire Police we can prevent art thefts in Sussex."

"Furthermore, we (Sussex Police) have made it clear to the Brighton Antiques Mafia, that as long as they do not target high value art and antiques in Sussex, we will not be bothered by their criminality elsewhere"

So, left without any help from Sussex Police, Hampshire detective Richard Skillan came up with the bright idea to take it upon himself to pay a visit to the sussex Antiques Dealers house, without a search warrant, to request his help in recovering the stolen art from Hampshire.

Detective Richard Skillan revealed all to the sussex antiques dealer and told him that is was Dick Ellis who named him.

The antiques dealer could not believe his luck, faced with the prospect of losing the high value stolen art he has accumulated he denied everything and Hampshire detective Richard Skillan left, tail between his legs, humiliated, and with the knowledge that the antiques dealer was aware of the close attention police were paying to him.

The Antiques dealer has duly moved all the high value stolen art from his homes and is now taking precautions to prevent him from being caught with stolen art and Dick Ellis has been made to look a complete fool.
The word on the street is Brighton Art criminals can act with impunity, if outside Sussex, and that's official !!

Evidence, Who needs it ??????????????

'Super-asbos' to target gangsters

Up to 30 major criminals a year could be given new civil orders restricting their involvement in organised crime, the Home Office has said.

The orders, dubbed "super-asbos", would target those suspected of drug dealing, money-laundering and human trafficking.

They form part of the government's proposed Serious Crime Bill which aims to hit the UK's "Mr Bigs" before trial.

Civil rights group Liberty has dismissed the proposed orders as "unfair and ineffective".

The Serious Crime Bill is also expected to strengthen powers to seize assets such as cash, properties and cars from criminals.

Breaching the new orders could lead to a five-year prison term.

Home Secretary John Reid called for cross-party support for the new laws.

"We are bringing in reforms to get the Mr Bigs of the organised crime world," he said.

"We hope this will have a huge impact, and we hope opposition parties will give the support necessary rather than what they have done every time we have tried to bring in strong powers to tackle crime and terrorism, which is vote against them and claim they aren't strong enough."

Analysis: Targeting Mr Bigs

This is sort of an Al Capone bill - you know, if we can't get you on one, we'll get you on another.
Former deputy chief constable of Greater Manchester Police John Stalker
But critics warned the measures would see individuals targeted without their guilt being proven.

Jago Russell, policy officer for civil rights group Liberty, said: "We used to believe in hard evidence and fair trials in this country - now we dispense rapid-fire justice as quickly as the government can develop a catchy four-letter acronym for it.

"These new orders targeted at the 'Mr Bigs' of the criminal world will likely be as unfair and ineffective as Asbos and control orders before them."

'Not the answer'

And former deputy chief constable of Greater Manchester Police John Stalker told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme that the government was going down a dangerous route.

He added: "My view is that criminals should be dealt with under the criminal law and that Asbos, super-asbos as these are being called, are not the answer to heavyweight criminals. They maybe OK for hoodies on the street but they are not for heavyweight criminals.

"This is sort of an Al Capone bill - you know, if we can't get you on one, we'll get you on another."

But Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said the measures would be a major weapon in combating "untouchable" criminals.


CRIMINALS' RESTRICTIONS
Financial, property or business dealings
Working arrangements
People who can be associated or communicated with
Access to premises
Travel in the UK or abroad

He said: "There are people who try to stay remote from crime, who try to encourage crime but never get their hands dirty.

"We want to ensure that, while our methods are proportionate, we can get to them.

"People who believe they are beyond the law and untouchable will know that the government is on the side of the ordinary law-abiding majority."

The serious crime prevention orders would be applied for by the Crown Prosecution Service, Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office or the Serious Fraud Office.

An order could be imposed by the courts if they believed, on the balance of probability, that the suspect had acted in a way which helped or was likely to help a serious crime.

Orders would also be used if courts felt it was necessary and proportionate to prevent such criminal harm in the future.

It would be a High Court civil order that could be challenged in the Court of Appeal.


Targeting 'Mr Bigs' of serious crime

Perhaps they're not untouchable - but they are very hard to reach.

They are the serious criminals leading the gangs responsible for drug dealing, human trafficking and fraud.

They don't get their hands dirty selling crack, cocaine or heroin on street corners or driving the lorries bringing in illegal immigrants.

But they give out the orders and rake in the proceeds of the illicit activities, remaining at arms length from the crimes, thus evading prosecution.

They're the ones the Home Office is after. The roots of the crime tree, rather than the twigs at the top.

Achieving successful prosecutions against these "Mr Bigs" is a long haul.

Evidence they've made phone calls or emailed associates won't be enough to guarantee a conviction. Nor will a large stash of cash underneath the sofa, a flash car, a yacht or even a villa in Marbella.

It may point to their involvement but what's needed in a criminal trial is 99.9% proof.

That will arrive only if an insider gives information to police or if extensive surveillance of a suspect reveals something incriminating. And that's time consuming, expensive and extremely complicated.

Travel restrictions

So ministers are now trying another tack - disruption - to make life so difficult for the individuals suspected of criminality that they can't operate their illegal enterprises.

To do that, an order from the High Court will be obtained restricting their travel, communications and business dealings.

The High Court will grant the request if it's satisfied that the individual is involved in criminality on the balance of probabilities - 51% proof.

The measure is similar to an Asbo but may prove to be harder to enforce.

The suspects to be targeted will probably be able to instruct the best lawyers around and they'll rake over the details of the legislation and the court orders looking for loopholes.

They'll be able to make representations to the High Court and take their case to the Court of Appeal if they lose.

False passports

Don't rule out further appeals to the House of Lords and the European Courts, either, to query important legal principles.

Even if the courts come down against them and impose an order, it still has to be enforced, without the use of electronic tags - the government has ruled that out.

Bear in mind, these people can probably get hold of a false passport at a snap of their fingers.

Of course, as more orders are made the room for legal argument may diminish while the prospect of a five-year prison term for breaching an order will make some suspects toe the line.

But history suggests that applying civil powers to tackle organised crime is fraught with problems - look how hard it's been for the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) to confiscate illegal earnings and property from suspects.

It's an irony that may not be lost on those responsible for tackling organised crime that the Bill proposing serious crime prevention orders also paves the way for the abolition of the ARA - its functions to be taken over by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).

Art Hostage comments:

This yet another example of the Brit govt admitting defeat in the war against organised crime.
The only way they think they can disrupt criminality is to undermine the British legal system and move to a more authoritarian model as seen in dictatorships.

The presumption of innocence has been thrown out of the window and this like many other headline grabs will falter as soon as the publicity finishes.

If the govt were to properly fund law enforcement they would be able to operate in a productive manner.
It reminds me of the little Dutch boy who put his finger in the Dyke.

The way things are going Britain will have an honest trustworthy police force who do not make deals, never pay rewards, and best of all, cannot solve any serious crime, even if fell on them.

Intelligence down 90%, solving of serious crime down drastically, criminals acting with impunity.

I wonder if lawyers went to the High court and said that it is 51% certain that Tony Blair did have involvement in the cash for questions scandal and he should be given a super ASBO to restrict him from committing further white collar crime, would the Judge agree,using the new criteria I really think the Judge would???????
So, John Reid, Tony Blair, be careful what you wish for, it may come back to haunt you and bite your arse !!No Gold Watch for Tony Blair on his retirement, just a pair of steel bracelets !!

Art Thieves beware: museum curators are after you, Only part-time !!

Thieves beware: museum curators are after you

By Lucian Harris | Posted 03 January 2007

LONDON. Faced with the prospect of dissolution, the Art and Antiques Unit of the Metropolitan Police has come up with a new idea—to recruit curators and art historians as special constables. The scheme, dubbed Art Beat, is set to start in April. This is the first time the police has attempted to recruit such specialist volunteers.

Detective Sergeant Vernon Rapley told The Art Newspaper that the scheme was devised after the Art squad was told by the Metropolitan Police Authority that it could be disbanded if it did not become 50% self-financing by 2008.

Art Beat Special Constables are being recruited from museums such as the Victoria & Albert and the British Museum, universities, insurance companies and other cultural organisations. After four weeks training in police procedure as well as specialist art squad techniques, volunteers will be sponsored by their employers to work as Special Constables for 200 hours a year or one day a fortnight. They will be uniformed and will have full police powers.

“The aim is to build bridges between the police and the art world and maintain a high visibility presence in areas with a high level of art sales,” said DS Rapley. “This could include patrolling antiques markets like Bermondsey or areas with clusters of art dealers like Kensington Church Street, Bond Street or Camden Passage, or undercover intelligence work.”

The Art and Antiquities Unit currently consists of only four full time officers. “At the moment we are not receiving as much information as we would like from the art trade,” said DS Rapley. “We have tried to recruit from areas with the kind of specialist knowledge that will benefit from our work.” So far the police have recruited archaeology and antiquities experts, and hope to have 14 constables trained by April.

Art Hostage comments:

Policing on the cheap, this is unpaid work that will do nothing to stop the lack of good quality intelligence received by Police in the last two years.

Information received from the art trade is down 90% in the last two years, the reason is the disgusting manner in which informants are treated.

A classic example of negligence by the Police.
One month before Harry Hyams was robbed last year an Antiques dealer from Cheltenham offered to provide details, via a third party, of the plans to target Harry Hyams.


This potential informant would provide times, names and how the robbery would be carried out.
Police could, and should of been lying in wait for the Hyams robbers, so when they struck, at Ramsbury Manor they would be caught red-handed.
The price for this crucial information was £100,000, to be given to a trusted third party, a lawyer, to be handed back to authorities if the sting did not prove fruitful. If successful, the Cheltenham Antiques dealer would receive the £100,000.
Police responded by saying:

"We would not sanction £100 pounds, let alone £100,000 pounds."

"We, the Police, require everything from informants, they in return get nothing from us, other than a few pounds expenses"

Within Two weeks Harry Hyams was robbed of £80 million worth of artworks.

Subsequently, via the private sector, some items were handed back, without pre-condition.
Authorities promised a convicted criminal a lighter sentence if he could facilitate the return of the Harry Hyams artworks, unfortunately this criminal did not get any support and received four years jail time.

Dismayed, the private sector involved in Art Loss Recovery is sitting on its hands, not being able to act on inside information.
For the moment all that is left is to shake one's head in disbelief.




The notion that these unpaid museum curators, civil servants, misguided antiques dealers will get any relevant information about art related crime is pure folly.

Those engaged in the panorama of art related crime will not only see these keystone cops coming, but also use these antiques dealer/Policemen to get inside information about law enforcement.

This will end in violence, corruption and tears for all concerned.

There are already enough ex-Art Squad policemen investigating art related crime in the private sector, the last thing needed is some half trained, half baked curator thinking he is Hercule Poirot, someone is going to get hurt.

I cannot wait to hear what Dick Ellis, Malcolm Kenwood, Mark Dalrymple and Charlie Hill have to say about this one.

Scotland Yard Art Squad Detective Vernon Rapley is nicknamed
"The Book-keeper" for good reason.