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There is much advice available and an excellent Security Manual has
been produced by the Museums, Libraries and Archives
Security Group (Now ACE). In addition there is the Museum
Security Network who provide much helpful information.
When assessing risk one of your inputs should be theft statistics.
The following may be of help.
In the UK in 2000 there were 42 reported thefts from Museums and
Galleries from about 2700 organisations. The statistics are similar now,
this has been a major change since the 1980's.
This all means there is a one chance in sixty of a theft occurring in
any one year per establishment. The impact of this is much more than
the loss. It can sometimes involve danger to staff or the public.
Often it will cause an organisational trauma where staff lose trust
in one another and wonder who tipped the thieves off or worse was it
one of them who did it?
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Those thefts can be broken down into the following categories:
Thefts from:
| Display Cases Open displays
Pictures
Other displays
At night
From stores
Long timescale*
Other |
11 10
4
2
6
2
4
3 |
| 64% of thefts were from displays during the day. Over the past 30
years the pattern of crime has migrated from night-time and fraud to
snatches during open hours.
* unfortunately often aided by museum staff |
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As with most security matters the investment in night-time and
control security has solved some of the problem and some has been
displaced to less well protected hours.
Since 2000, reported crime has decreased but the trend towards
daytime crime has increased.
The security team at Arts Council England (ACE) provide
excellent security advice (which we follow too) to
museums and galleries (often as part of an application to the
Government Loan Indemnity Scheme). They might suggest you contact Euronova
as a reputable supplier of products to give a cost effective solution to improving day-time, display security. |
