More accurate police recording of heritage crime needed, says research

This would allow a more “detailed understanding” of the scale and extent of crime and anti-social behaviour in the historic environment, it says.

The research, published on Wednesday (March 13) by Historic England and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), members of ARCH – the Alliance to Reduce Crime Against Heritage – outlines the scale and extent of heritage and cultural property crime in England.

In particular, it reveals a rise in historic stone theft with the threat assessment warning that the cost-of-living crisis will only increase this type of heritage crime.

The assessment has identified the diverse range of active and emerging threats to the historic environment, including the theft of historic lead and stone, high value burglaries targeting cultural objects, unlawful metal detecting (also known as nighthawking) and the removal of artefacts from the nation’s protected wreck sites.

It also highlights the problem of anti-social behaviour – in particular arson, vandalism and graffiti. The research makes a series of recommendations that it says will lead to more effective prevention and active enforcement of heritage crime.

A key recommendation is the need to introduce appropriate police systems to better record, collate and analyse crimes and incidents relating to the loss and damage to heritage sites and cultural property, as well as how this information should be shared with police forces and heritage organisations. This should include the development of a heritage crime ‘marker’ on police call handling and crime management systems.

“There is currently no standard methodology across all police forces and heritage crime is not considered a priority,” say researchers. “This limits our understanding of the true scale and extent of heritage crime in the historic environment and how to deal with it.

The Heritage and Cultural Property Crime research was funded by Historic England and carried out by crime analysts at Opal – the National Crime Intelligence Unit for Serious Organised Acquisitive Crime – and was conducted between February 2020 to February 2023.

Findings of the research include:

• Theft of historic stone including York stone from some our most cherished historic sites is on the rise and it continues to be at risk from those intent on making financial gain from stealing and trading in historic stone, particularly walls and paving slabs in Yorkshire and Cheshire, as well as granite cattle troughs and fountains from Kent and London;
• Metal theft from historic places of worship increased during the lockdown periods of the Covid-19 pandemic, but effective preventative and enforcement action has since resulted in a steady decrease;
• A reduction in unlawful metal detecting (also known as nighthawking) has been achieved with the support of landowners and the metal detecting community, with offenders being identified and brought to justice; and
• Offences relating to the theft of cultural objects from art galleries, museums and stately homes is on the rise, with artwork and antiques being the most frequently stolen items. It is estimated that over £3.2 million worth of cultural property was stolen in the period 2021/22.

Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Nolan, NPCC lead for Heritage Crime, said: “When metal, stone or other items are stolen from our historic buildings and cultural sites, it impacts the communities who enjoy those spaces.

“We welcome any research into this area of criminality which helps us to better understand the issue, and therefore tailor our response to pursue offenders and deter any future opportunists.

“We are committed to tackling this issue and our heritage crime officers across the country will continue to work with Historic England and other partners, to reduce offending and educate the wider public about the long-lasting damage heritage crime can have.”

Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, added: “Heritage and cultural property crime robs us of our collective history. This research marks the next stage in our commitment to tackle such crime.

“More effective crime recording across all police forces in the UK, including a heritage marker to highlight protected sites and cultural property crime, would help us to understand trends better and to tackle serious organised crime and anti-social behaviour.”

Historic stone theft

York stone is a popular material for construction, building and landscaping. The variety of colours and its durability make it desirable. According to Ecclesiastical Insurance, York stone slabs taken from the grounds of historic properties including churches can cost up to £400 per square metre to replace.

The latest research reveals that theft of historic stone from historic sites rose nine per cent in 2022. Offenders have been known to be highly organised, disguising themselves by wearing high-vis jackets to appear as workers. York stone slabs from the grounds of historic properties and church paths are targeted, with gangs often removing them using stolen vehicles and tools.

The assessment is that the demand for valuable York stone will continue and therefore offending will continue, while a profit can be gained.

The ARCH partnership is calling for enhanced intelligence-gathering and scrutiny of the trade relating to ‘architectural salvage’, which includes York stone.

Theft of metal

The research reveals that the theft of metal roofing, notably lead, from historic churches increased by 41 per cent during the period of ‘lockdown’ in the Covid pandemic. These offences are likely to have been committed by both opportunistic offenders and organised crime groups.

Between January and November 2023 the theft of lead from church roofs decreased by 26.2 per cent compared with the same period in 2022. This may have been helped by improved security measures, the introduction of Heritage Watch schemes and the prosecution of two organised crime groups responsible for stealing high volumes of roofing lead from historic church buildings from Dorset to Yorkshire.

Latest figures show that lead prices increased by eight per cent between January and November 2023 (£1,309 per tonne 2023 average) compared with the same period in 2022. To try to reduce the threat of theft, some listed historic churches are replacing stolen lead with stainless steel after consulting Historic England.

Many offences, including removing small parts of lead flashing at a time, may have gone unnoticed during the summer of 2022. The high price of lead may have also encouraged opportunists.

Nationally, there are 943 places of worship on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register in 2023. There are 53 places of worship on the Register that have threats listed linked to heritage crime as one or more of the following: arson, theft of fixtures and fittings, metal theft and other external materials, and vandalism.

Unlawful metal detecting

A 9.3 per cent reduction in unlawful metal detecting (also known as nighthawking) has been highlighted in the research. This has been made possible with the support of vigilant landowners and the legitimate metal detecting community working in partnership with the police.

Historic England has also been working with members of the metal detecting community to train detectorists as part of the ‘Heritage Watch’ scheme. It is likely that further work to raise awareness of laws surrounding metal detecting will encourage responsible detecting and reporting of finds.

The small minority of metal detectorists that break the law are being identified and brought to justice.

High value burglaries

The research highlights offences relating to the theft of objects from art galleries, museums and stately homes, with artwork and antiques being the most stolen items. Organised crime groups are believed to be responsible for a number of sophisticated burglaries resulting in significant financial and cultural loss. This was estimated to be in excess £3.2 million of cultural property stolen in the period 2021/22.

Mark Harrison, head of heritage crime at Historic England said: “Since the launch of the Heritage Crime Programme in 2011, Historic England has made significant progress in preventing and investigating crime and anti-social behaviour in the historic environment.

“This progress has been made possible by working with members of ARCH and the thousands of people, organisations and charities who own and care for our historic buildings and sites. The findings of this assessment will help us to develop the new tactics and technologies required to be one step ahead of those intent on stealing from our past.”

Robin Turnbull, arson and anti-social behaviour lead officer for the National Fire Chiefs Council, said: “Fires in historic buildings can have a significant impact in a short period of time, damaging the building fabric, causing the economic value to reduce and harming part of the nation’s shared cultural heritage. Developing partnerships with owners and Historic England, arson risk assessments can make historical buildings less of a target for arson and mitigate its impact in the event of a fire.”

Other threats identified in the report include:

• Cost of living crisis – The theft of valuable heritage materials and cultural objects by opportunist offenders and organised crime groups is likely to increase as inflation continues to impact on the price of commodities.
• Anti-social behaviour – Arson, vandalism and graffiti continue to pose a significant threat for the owners and managers of England’s nationally important historic buildings and archaeological sites. Initiatives such as the ‘Heritage Watch’ programme and the work of the National Fire Chiefs’ Council and the National Rural Crime Network are having an impact.
• Protected wreck sites – Last autumn, Historic England, working with MSDS Marine and the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE) and partners announced an innovative forensic marking system to protect some of England’s 57 most historic and archaeologically important wreck sites. These include: the Dutch warships ‘Klein Hollandia’ and the ‘Rooswijk’. This new technology should act as a deterrent to those seeking to steal historic artefacts such as cannon from the seabed.

• Cyber-enabled crime – The use of the internet has grown. It is likely that stolen items will continue to be sold online where offenders can make a profit, often anonymously. It is also likely that a higher number of fakes will enter the market as scams and fraudulent activity online rises.