Memo for Steven Spielberg, Chance To Redeem Yourself !!

Walking To Church by Norman Rockwell

Sad Family Portrait

Legal Furor Will Determine The Fate Of Norman Rockwell Treasures

By ALAINE GRIFFIN, Courant Staff Writer


STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. -- Marge Blair, a guide at the museum here that houses the largest collection of Norman Rockwell's original works, points tourists toward a painting of a teen-age girl in a plaid skirt and scuffed saddle shoes reading The Saturday Evening Post.

The painting, a gift Rockwell gave his friend Walt Disney one Christmas, is now part of the permanent collection at the museum, where Blair one recent afternoon celebrated its return.


"A few years ago, Walt Disney's daughter gave it back to us so we can all enjoy it today," Blair said during a guided tour of the work of one of America's most beloved illustrators.

But another painting's place on a wall nearby is not so certain, in part because its story does not share such goodwill. And though Blair stops her tour at this painting so admirers can observe its detail, she doesn't tell them that "Walking to Church," an April 3, 1953, Post cover of a Bible-toting family heading to Sunday morning services, could soon end up above the mantelpiece of a wealthy buyer, far from the eyes of the thousands who come to the museum each year.

Museum officials are keeping a close eye on an application filed last month in a probate court in Connecticut requesting the sale of "Walking to Church" and five other Rockwell paintings and sketches, including one of his portraits of President Eisenhower and the well-known "Gossips" and "Saying Grace." pictured bottom.

For more than a decade, the works have been on loan to the Norman Rockwell Museum, which opens its doors annually to about 160,000 visitors who come to view the wholesome, slice-of-life images Rockwell is known for creating. The museum, about 75 miles from Hartford, includes more than 570 paintings and drawings and an archive of more than 100,000 photographs, letters and other Rockwell items.

The request to sell the paintings is the latest legal move in a 14-year family wrangle winding though state, federal and probate courts over the estate of Rockwell friend and longtime Post art director Kenneth Stuart Sr. of Wilton, who died in 1993. Stuart worked closely with Rockwell during his illustration of 323 covers for the Post, work Rockwell did for the magazine for nearly five decades.

The estate of Stuart, an antiques lover, includes an impressive art collection that was left to his sons, Kenneth Jr., Jonathan and William. The works include six original Rockwell paintings and sketches Stuart said the illustrator gave him; all were were reproduced on Post covers, according to Superior Court records. The Manhattan auction house Sotheby's valued Stuart's collection at $3.5 million to $5.2 million in 1997, court records say, but dealers familiar with Rockwell paintings say their value is much higher. Stephen P. Wright, a Milford lawyer representing Kenneth Stuart Jr., said the collection is probably worth about $30 million.

Kenneth Jr., 65, of Norwalk, Stuart's oldest son and named executor of his father's estate, wants to sell the paintings, claiming "market conditions are such that" the paintings "are likely to receive a favorable price," according to his application filed Feb. 5 in Norwalk Probate Court.

But William Stuart, 63, of Massachusetts and his younger brother, Jonathan Stuart, 61, of New York, who have accused their brother of using the estate assets to maintain "a lifestyle he was unable to afford before he became executor," object to the sale of the paintings. They cite a pending application of their own that seeks to have him removed as executor, according to Norwalk probate records.

The fight among the Stuart brothers has raised questions about how long the paintings will be in the public domain. Potential new owners for "Walking to Church," "Gossips" and "Saying Grace" - the latter once voted the most popular Saturday Evening Post cover by readers - may not choose to keep the paintings at the Rockwell museum, where they have been on loan since 1994.

"These works are some of Norman Rockwell's best-known images," said Stephanie Plunkett, the museum's chief curator. "We're fortunate to have had the opportunity to have them at the museum for so long, so this is a big issue for us. Would we love to have the paintings here? Absolutely. Having the paintings on loan here has been a great advantage for the public because they've had the opportunity to view Rockwell's master works in their original form. But since it's under the jurisdiction of the courts, we don't know how it's going to turn out."

The case has been kept in limbo by Kenneth Jr.'s October 2005 bankruptcy filing, a 2002 injunction barring him from touching the estate's assets and acting as executor and a legal fight the brothers recently won against the Post's parent company, Curtis Publishing, over ownership of the paintings.

But that could change Tuesday in a bankruptcy courtroom in Bridgeport, where Wright, one of Kenneth Jr.'s lawyers, said he will agree to let the probate court matters proceed.

"We're trying to move forward with this," Wright said. "We want to sell the paintings."

Kenneth Jr. filed for bankruptcy 15 months after Superior Court Judge Taggart D. Adams ruled in June 2004 that the son had exercised undue influence over his father in acquiring the estate's assets and had breached his fiduciary duties. Adams said Kenneth Jr. was liable for statutory theft and unjust enrichment and ordered him to pay nearly $2.4 million to the estate.

Kenneth Jr. is appealing Adams' ruling in the state's Appellate Court.

In his decision, Adams considered allegations by the brothers that when their father was suffering from dementia, Kenneth Jr. convinced him to put his assets - including the Rockwell works - into a family limited partnership. The partnership, in which Kenneth Jr. would serve as general partner, was a way to decrease estate taxes, the records say.

The brothers said Kenneth Jr. used estate funds to pay for his daughter's BMW and college tuition and for alimony to his ex-wife, according to court records. Kenneth Jr. "testified candidly that certain funds in the trust were used to pay his personal expenses," but claimed he was owed commissions for running the partnership, Adams wrote in his decision,.

In his ruling, Adams calls the 14-year dispute over the estate a "divisive family saga." There were lengthy discovery disputes, "documentary evidence in excess of 20,000 pages" and an eight-week trial in the fall of 2003. A special master was also assigned to take possession of "voluminous partnership files and to oversee the partnership affairs," according to Adams' ruling.


Through their attorney, Sandra Akoury, both Jonathan Stuart and William Stuart declined to be interviewed for this story. Kenneth Stuart Jr. did not return a call for comment.

Wright said selling the paintings "is the only way" Kenneth Jr. can satisfy the nearly $2.4 million judgment against his client. Wright said in the current market, "Saying Grace," which shows a grandmother and grandson with bowed heads praying before their meal in a crowded restaurant, could sell for between $20 million and $25 million.


Last November, the Rockwell painting "Lincoln the Railsplitter," which shows a young Abraham Lincoln, was sold at auction for $1.6 million to the Butler Institute of American Art in Ohio. That same month, the more well-known "Breaking Home Ties" by Rockwell sold for $15.4 million at auction, more than double its estimated price of $4 million to $6 million, according to a Sotheby's auction house release.

With sale numbers that high, Plunkett said, it would be difficult for the museum to buy paintings from the Stuart collection if they ended up for sale.

"We unfortunately would not be in a position necessarily to bid on something in the range of what we've been seeing for Norman Rockwell's iconic works," Plunkett said. "But oftentimes, people are generous and when they purchase art, they consider putting it out for display. We're always hoping people think of us as a repository for Rockwell's work."

Plunkett said museum officials were thrilled in 1999 when they learned Disney's daughter wanted to return Rockwell's gift to her father. Those at the Butler Institute felt the same way when the museum was able to purchase "Lincoln the Railsplitter." For years, it hung in the home of Texas billionaire and onetime presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. Once the museum had the painting, it held an unveiling party for the first public showing in many years.

"I think it's wonderful that our collection is available to the public every day, especially to people who are scholars," said Kathy Earnhart, the Butler Institute's director of public relations. The museum, which showcases the works of such American artists as Mary Cassatt and Edward Hopper, had searched for a Rockwell to add to their collection. But like the Rockwell museum's bank account, the Butler's checkbook cannot always compete with the money a wealthy private bidder can spend.

"It is difficult for us because the prices are so exorbitant," Earnhart said.

But it can be done, said Patricia Shippee, a fine art appraiser and consultant in Connecticut and New York City. Shippee pointed to the recent fight two Philadelphia museums waged to keep American artist Thomas Eakins' "The Gross Clinic" in that city.

When Thomas Jefferson University announced it was selling the painting for $68 million to a partnership of Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, arts supporters in Philadelphia held a fundraising drive to keep it from being sold.

In the end, the painting, considered Eakins' masterpiece, was purchased jointly by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Both will exhibit the painting.

"It depends on how much the museum wants it," Shippee said. "It could be that there will be enough people who will care about the Rockwell museum to keep the paintings there."

Rockwell, himself, thought it was important to keep his works in the public domain, Plunkett said.

When he learned a museum with his work was going to be opened, Rockwell donated a number of his paintings in trust to the museum and went searching for paintings he had given away or sold so they could be displayed.

The museum is getting ready to host a series of traveling exhibitions for people who are unable to get to Stockbridge, Rockwell's home during the later years of his life.

"I do believe that Norman Rockwell realized it was important to gather a significant collection of his work for the public," Plunkett said. And one way Rockwell was able to do this was by getting his work on the cover of the Post, she said.

"Rockwell once called the magazine the greatest show window in America for an illustrator," Plunkett said. "The ability for his work to be seen by the masses was extremely important to him. He believed he worked for the public."

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Art Hostage comments:

What a wonderful way for Steven Spielberg to redeem himself from the stolen Rockwell debacle than to personally step in and purchase the disputed Rockwell's and donate them back to the Rockwell Museum he himself helped to found.

By this selfless action Steven Spielberg can put aside any doubts about his honesty surrounding the Russian Schoolroom scandal.

What is a mere $30 million when you are worth $1 billion, or close too.

How much honest, legitimate profit did Mr Spielberg earn from Dreamworks?

I am sure the $30 million can be offset against some tax anyway.

Mr Spielberg do the right thing and join Mr Ron Lauder as a true decent Honourable generous first class 21st century Philanthropist.

Saying Grace by Norman Rockwell.

Honest Diamond Dealers, Oxy Moron !!

Thieves stole the gems from this bank in the Pelikaanstraat, in the heart of Antwerp's diamonds district.

$28M diamonds thief 'was customer'

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Belgian police have offered a €2 million ($2.6 million) reward for tips that help them track down a man who stole €21.3 million ($28 million) worth of diamonds from an Antwerp bank last week.

Prosecutors said they are searching for a man who broke into open safety deposit boxes in an ABM Amro bank in the city's diamond quarter.

Police are unsure how he did it but believe he may have carefully planned the robbery, becoming one of several trusted diamond traders given an electronic card to access the vault. The suspect had been a regular customer at the bank for the past year, giving the name Carlos Hector Flomenbaum from Argentina.

They now believe that the suspect was using a false identity because a passport in that name was stolen in Israel a few years ago.

They released a composite photo of a gray-haired man, 1.90 meters (6 foot 3) tall and aged between 55 and 60. They said he speaks English with an American accent and often wears a baseball cap, and they are appealing to anyone who got to know him during his time in the city to come forward.

The bank discovered the theft on March 5, believing that someone took the stones that Monday morning or the previous Friday from a vault used by pawnbrokers and diamond cutters.

Police did not say why they had waited over a week before making the theft public, nor did they mention who had put up the reward money.

The stolen diamonds weigh 120,000 carats and include some very unusual stones, police said.

The diamonds will be difficult to sell on world markets, said Philip Claes, spokesman for the Antwerp Diamond Council. He told Belgium's RTL-TVI television network the haul included both cut gems and rough diamonds which cannot be sold without certificates of origin to show they have not come illegally from war zones.

In 2003, in the world's largest safe-deposit box theft, thieves in Antwerp prized open 123 boxes, finding so much loot they could only carry away $100 million worth of diamonds, gold and jewelry.

More than half the world's diamonds are traded in Antwerp's gem district, a maze of tiny streets hugging the main train station. Its turnover of $23 billion a year makes it one of the densest concentrations of valuables on earth.

Art Hostage comments:

Before the insurance company pays out on this claim they must investigate the inside job and the real prospect that these diamonds will return through the Antwerp market when the Insurance money has been received.

The same people who were robbed will no doubt be involved in the illegal trading of these diamonds. It is well known in the Diamond trade that they have an insurance claim now and again. It is the honest policy holders who pick up the tab for these criminal diamond dealers.

Just try and collect the reward and you will see that not only will the reward not be forthcoming, but if you have real decent intelligence you will be hung out to dry.

Best guess, Semi, from Russia will be the person who may become the new owner of these stolen diamonds, if they were really stolen.

Croat ex-general arrested for wartime diamond theft

Reuters Thursday, 15 March 2007

VIENNA: Austrian police have arrested a Croatian ex-general sought on suspicion of stealing $US5 million ($NZ7.34 million) worth of diamonds entrusted to him in an arms deal during Croatia's secession war, Austria said.


The ex-general and former deputy defence minister, Vladimir Zagorec, was arrested in his office in Vienna after Croatia issued an international arrest warrant on Monday, Interior Ministry spokesman Rudolf Gollia said.

Zagorec has been living in Austria since 2000, Gollia said. The authorities knew his whereabouts and he had made no attempt to hide or resist arrest, he said. A judge will decide on Wednesday whether he will remain in detention.

Zagorec's Austrian law firm Lansky, Ganzger told the Austrian news agency APA their client denied the charges brought by Croatia, dismissing them as a political ploy. They said the arrest was unwarranted as Zagorec did not try to escape or hide.

According to Croatian media reports, authorities suspect that Zagorec received diamonds from an arms dealer to guarantee the dealer's delivery of anti-aircraft rockets worth $US5 million during Croatia's 1991-1995 war of secession from the former Yugoslavia.

The authorities allege that he did not record the deposited diamonds in the ministry's books and took them with him when he left his post.

If You Want To Know The Time, Ask a Policeman, For Everything Else Demand Payment, Or Tell Police To Go Fuck Themselves !!

Pricey antiques stolen from house http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6447285.stm

Some £50,000 worth of antiques was stolen from a home in Hardington Mandeville, Somerset, police said.
The haul included an antique Victorian desk, an antique wine cooler as well as numerous works of arts and decorative ornaments.

They were taken on the night of 21 January, an Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said.

Police hope antiques dealers in the region who may have been offered some of the items will come forward.


http://www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/LocalPages/NewsDetails.aspx?nsid=7913&t=1&lid=4

Art Comments:

As ever police want help doing their job.

If you are an honest lawabiding member of the public who stumbles across any information regarding these stolen antiques call the police and give them the tip. you will not get any reward but you will be doing your public duty and helping the lazy Police to continue to let others do their job.

If however, you are conected to the antiques trade and have information about these stolen antiques, keep it to yourself as you will not be rewarded and the criminals will hunt you down and make you feel like you have been fucked by an Elephant.

Art and Antiques with a profit, only when a Thief holds a sale !!

Thief opens shop, sells stock
07/03/2007 09:09

Brussels - A Belgian antique dealer returned from holiday to find a thief had broken into his shop, opened it for business and sold his stock.

While Johan Dumon, 62, from Mechelen, was away the burglar stole valuables from his shop and also his home and held a two day sale.

Neighbours didn't find the sale suspicious - even though the shop had been closed for three years, reports De Morgen.

"I can only conclude the burglar was a clever man," said Mr Dumon. "Instead of dragging it all out of the house he sold it on the spot."

Dumon said the stolen antiques were worth at least €17 000.

Police have spoken to witnesses who attended the sale and have been able to release a description of the man.

Attorney Goedele Van den Brande is confident the man will soon be found - but he says recovering the stolen goods could be impossible as 'purchasers' cannot be forced to return them. - Ananova.com

Art Hostage comments:

I must say this story raised a smile, the sheer nerve of thieves never fails to amaze me.

However, it does prove that the only way to buy a bargin from an Antiques dealer is if the stock is bought via a thief.

I am sure this thief will be caught and will be someone known to the loser.

There must an element of an inside job for this to happen.

London Art and Antiques Mafia Breathe a Sigh of Relief, Business as Usual !!

Laughing All The Way Too The Bank

Antiques Trade Gazette

BAMF defuse threat from London Bill

THE London trade can breathe a sigh of relief. The British Art Market Federation (BAMF) have won their battle to stop a new Government Bill introducing draconian measures to regulate the capital’s dealers and auction houses.

The London Local Authorities Bill had included proposals to substantially boost police powers of entry, search and seizure. There were also new requirements for dealers in second-hand goods to register with their local councils and plans to tie up business further with complex record keeping.

The Bill follows earlier legislation, including the Kent Act, aimed at preventing the illegal trade in second-hand goods. Although not specifically targeted at the art and antiques trade, it draws dealers and auctioneers into its ambit.

BAMF supported targeted legislation to deal with the problem of crime, but felt the measures proposed by the Bill were not targeted properly and risked causing serious damage to legitimate business interests. As a result,BAMF chairman Anthony Browne and President Lord Brooke launched a solitary but rigorous campaign against the proposals. Among their concerns-later shared by the Home Office and three other departments-were the hugely enhanced police powers being proposed. Police Officers would have been able to gain entry to property and to search for and seize goods without a warrant.

Now, however, it has been agreed that the entire section of the Bill affecting these powers, Part Four, will be dropped.

"I am glad that the promoters of the LLA Bill have finally acknowledged the strong case made by BAMF against the measures proposed in Part 4," said Mr Browne. "The complicated requirement for all dealers and auction houses in London to register with their local councils, to keep duplicate records and to be subject to unprecedented and, in our view, unjustified police powers of entry, search and seizure of property would have enveloped the second largest art market in the world in an unnecessary added layer of bureaucracy."

Art Hostage comments:

For anyone interested in trying to prevent art related crime this decision is a real kick in the bollocks.

As we speak, art crooks are putting up stolen art all over their houses knowing that the police will not come looking because of the clear evidence needed to obtain a warrant for a search.

Big, big, victory for the art criminals and the stolen art trade in London.

Should have said that stolen art funds terrorists, then these rules would have been implemented.

Not only have art loss investigators got handcuffs on, Law enforcement is now going to be wearing blind-folds.

Back to the book-keeping for Vernon Rapley, Head of Scotland Yard's Art and Antiques Squad.

Good old Vernon Rapley, below, gives his opinion on the news he can go back to sitting on his ass twiddling his thumbs, waiting for his pension.

This is yet another example of a Twenty four carat Govt fuck up, and that's a memo.

Borat Best Buddies Burnham Latest Heist !!

Men hunted over jewellery theft

One of the men, left, was described as having an irritation in his eye

Two men who stole £6,000 worth of jewellery from an antiques shop in Somerset are being hunted by police.
The men went into Castle Antiques in Victoria Court, Burnham-on-Sea, last Thursday afternoon and asked to look at a piece of jewellery.
They left, but returned about 15 minutes later and snatched several gold chains and bracelets while the owner tried to stop them.
The pair were described as white, aged 25 to 35. They both wore dark clothing.
One of the thieves is about 5ft 8ins (1.8m) tall, of stocky build, with a slight beard and an irritation in his left eye.
The second man, who was slightly taller, was of slimmer build.

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.