Group aims to stop heritage crime

Members of the public are being encouraged to anonymously report damage to Scotland’s historic buildings and monuments as a new group is launched to tackle heritage crime.

The Scottish Heritage Crime Group (SHCG) aims to raise awareness of the impact the damage has in an effort to reduce incidents.

Heritage crime encompasses as any criminal activity that causes damage to a heritage asset, including metal theft and vandalism.

The new group will also boost information sharing between partners, which includes Historic Environment Scotland, Scotland’s regulator of works on historic monuments.

Others involved are Police Scotland, Treasure Trove and Edinburgh City Council.

The launch follows graffiti being engraved into the worldrenowned Neolithic stone circle the Ring of Brodgar, which is more than 4,000 years old, in Orkney earlier this month.