Modus Operandi by Mauro Corvasce (universal ebook reader txt) 📕

artworks is fed into a mainframe computer, and within seconds, Scotland Yard can track an item offered for sale to an auction house or recovered by police forces throughout the world.

Whenever an art loss is reported, details of the stolen pieces are published in the top art and antiques magazines. This helps to stop the sale of the object on the open market since legitimate dealers resent the intrusion of illegitimate dealers into the art market. In addition, the art squad has encouraged dealers to organize and communicate. For ex-

ample, if Dealer A suffers a loss, he would contact Dealers B and C, who in turn contact two more and so on. It is hoped that the publicity would keep the theft from progressing into a sale.

Members of the New Scotland Yard Art Squad are a certain breed. Not only do they know the foremost in detection methods and how to capture criminals, but they also bring a commitment to art and its heritage. Many members have a particular interest of their own, such as paintings or sculpture, furniture, silver, glass or antiques. They bring the perspective of collectors to the squad, which is invaluable.

Art and Jewelry Theft Bureau of NYC

The New York City Police Department is also active in catching art thieves with its undercover Art and Jewelry Theft Bureau. Since New York and London are key financial centers in the international art market, it is imperative that New York City occupy this position in the capture of art thieves. One of the most famous art theft detectives ever assigned to the Theft Bureau was Robert Volpe. Volpe is an artist as well as a detective, and it is this commitment to the art world that enabled Volpe to infiltrate many major art thefts rings. He was instrumental in recovering millions of dollars worth of art and jewelry and precious antiques, sculpture and the likes from the rings of thieves who attempted to sell it. Detective Volpe is one of the new breed of police officers who have become more and more specialized in areas of detective work.

Interpol

Detectives trained in the art market and experienced in the methods of dealers and crime syndicates specializing in art robberies have linked their efforts to beat the international racket. Interpol headquarters, located just outside Paris, receives dozens of reports of stolen paintings, sculptures and other rare objects and immediately circulates them to offices throughout the world. These bulletins go down the line to regional police forces who then check with their informants and contacts in the art trade. More than in any other criminal investigation, speed is vital in disseminating this information and publicizing it in the press and on television. Most stolen art sells more easily outside its country of origin, where it goes unrecognized. But once a stolen masterpiece or a valuable object appears in the press, on television or in trade publications, no honest dealer will touch it, and even the most crooked fence handles it with extreme care.

Interpol reinforces its weekly bulletin with a monthly sheet listing the twelve most wanted works of art with pictures, descriptions, and details of their theft. This international organization of police covers most of the world. Its offices around the world are staffed by local detectives who act as liaisons between Interpol and forces like the New York City Police Department, Scotland Yard, and the F.B.I. If it were not for the actions of Interpol, hundreds of paintings smuggled across borders would have vanished forever due to their international appeal.

Avoiding Capture

Much stolen art goes underground for many years until it has established a new sales pedigree and everyone has forgotten about the theft. Then it can reappear in the hands of a private dealer or even in an auction room for a legitimate sale.

Big crime bosses place stolen objects in a bank vault until the country's statute of limitations runs out and precludes their prosecution. They can then offer the painting even to its original owner for much more than it would fetch on the black market and often the painting or other art object has doubled its value during its storage.

Criminal Penalties for Art Theft

On both the national and international levels, there are few legal precedents and little legislation for dealing with art crime. For some reason, the penalties for art crime, especially in the United States, have been very light. Art and jewelry theft is close to a white collar crime, since no one was physically injured. Public opinion is ambivalent toward

the matter because the general public doesn't have the means to deal in art, antique and jewelry collections, so, its theft does not affect them.

If the theft involves two different countries, e.g., the thieves steal art from France and take it to Holland, Holland may decide not to investigate. In other words, what is unpardonable to one government may not even be criminal to another. Despite the ambiguous opinions some governments and police agencies have on this subject, there seems to be relative agreement on one point: theft and vandalism, no matter what the target, constitute a criminal act, but the penalties for art and jewelry thefts are usually very light.

Conclusion

Art crime is changing from a romantic Robin Hood affair, often committed with an artistic flair, to a cold and impersonal act committed purely for money and sometimes with violence. Professional thieves over the years have grown more ruthless as armed holdups in Montreal and some U.S. galleries, as well as raids in Paris, have proven. In fact, security guards, vaults and detection equipment seem to challenge the art thief.

Art thieves have a vast and ever-growing territory, unlimited cultural treasures to steal, and an expanding underground network to help them dispose of their loot. As more individuals and institutions place their wealth in art, thefts increase. Additionally, as museums proliferate throughout the United States and Europe, this decreases the amount of artwork available to the private collector. It is a simple case of supply and demand.

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