Heritage crimes ‘risk losing history forever’
‘Antipathy’ towards past is a threat along with rogue metal detectorists, warns concerned police chief
BRITAIN’S history is at risk of being lost forever to heritage crime if “antipathy” towards our past is allowed to continue growing, a police chief warns today.
Churches and other historic sites are increasingly being targeted by thieves who are confident they can plunder valuables or raw materials without being brought to justice. There are also fears that valuable artefacts disappearing after a boom in amateur metal detecting could mean “the history of some parts of the UK will never be known”.
The trend comes against a backdrop of shrinking church congregations and an apparent dwindling interest in local sites of historical significance.
Now, the officer leading the national policing response to heritage crime has warned Britain will struggle to “keep the country’s stories alive” if the “constantly evolving” threat does not feature more in society’s consciousness.
Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Nolan said she found it striking how little intelligence is received by forces regarding crimes against historic buildings and monuments compared with other offences.
“Normally, even for anti-social behaviour out on a street corner, the intelligence we receive will be from three, four, or five different sources, if not more,” she said.
“Often intelligence about heritage crime is coming from just one strand, one person, which is quite unusual.”
Ms Nolan, who took over the role as the policing lead for the issue two years ago, said she first developed an interest after a historic site neighbouring her house was targeted by criminals.
She admits one of her worries when she started the job was the “antipathy” the public can have towards the protection of heritage assets and she is making community engagement a key priority.
“I think the thing to remember with heritage crime is that some of the things targeted are literally priceless,” she said.
“There was a rosary that Mary, Queen of Scots used and it was picked up (from Arundel Castle in West Sussex), melted down and sold for scrap.
“I think we should not necessarily judge the individual objects, just looking at how we can protect them and keep the country’s stories alive.”
Ms Nolan said she had wondered if there would be renewed hostility to her mission to protect heritage assets after Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 led to the defacement of monuments and statues to contentious historical figures.
“Interestingly, I haven’t had anything negative against the work we’re doing, because, I think, we are impartial – we’re not judging the origin (of the heritage asset) necessarily,” she added.
The true scale of heritage crime in the UK is hard to ascertain because so much of it goes unreported, Ms Nolan said, although 16 churches were raided by thieves in July alone.
Public vigilance is thought to be crucial to stamping out more opportunistic offending, such as the theft of historic paving stones and lead roofs.
But another burgeoning menace to the protection of Britain’s history is metal detecting, according to Det Supt Jon Burgess, who helps lead the fight against heritage crime with Ms Nolan.
“The BBC launched a superb series called Detectorists,” said the officer, who, like Ms Nolan, is based at Essex Police. “There was a really massive spike in the use of lawful metal detecting, but also the blight of the historic environment being raided.
“Certain finds that have been handed in honestly have rewritten the history books.
“Now think how much isn’t handed in – and really crucial bits of history, too. It’s not just the value of gold or silver; the history of a certain area of the UK will never be known.”