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Heritage Crime and ARCH – A Programme for Protection
The theft of metal from the local church roof is something that is more and more frequently found being reported in the Local and National press. The effect on the Historic Environment is becoming more and more devastating with elements of the historic structure and fabric becoming permanently damaged. This damage and theft has become known as Heritage Crime. In a research paper compiled by Newcastle University the definition of Heritage Crime is “any offence which harms the value of England’s Heritage Assets and their settings to this and future generations”, identifying that Heritage Crime goes much wider than just the lead off of a church roof. Whilst this report identifies that metal theft is a major issue it highlights other areas such as arson, unauthorised metal detection and criminal damage.
English Heritage identify that this report showed that an estimated 18.7% of Listed Buildings were physically affected by crime last year, this is over 70,000 Listed Buildings. It is these types of figures that have led to the creation of ARCH – Alliance to Reduce Crime Against Heritage. ARCH is a voluntary national network of groups and interested parties to take forward and tackle the issues of Heritage Crime on our Historic Environment. The belief is that this will bring together local action as a programme to reduce Heritage Crime. This joint initiative between the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACOP), English Heritage and Local Authorities will see a coordinated approach to addressing this issue.
In the latest conference organised by English Heritage it was an opportunity for these issues to be discussed. The seriousness of this issue is reiterated by the secondment of Ch Insp Mark Harrison from Kent Police to English Heritage to advise on prevention issues. Mark Harrison further reported that one of the developments is the introduction by Police forces of dedicated specialists to tackle this issue. He also advised at the conference that the Crown Prosecution Service has 40 Heritage Crime specialist prosecutors to advise on the criminal offence and maximise the opportunities to secure prosecutions.
The Minister for Tourism and Heritage, John Penrose, advised at the English Heritage conference that the finidings of this report should be treated cautiously, with no previous figures to report against no one knows if Heritage Crime has always been this bad or if it is cresting at the moment.
English Heritage have committed further sponsorship into the research around preventative measures into vulnerable sites, and Dr Louise Grove of Loughborough University reported that further research is due to be released outlining some of the lessons that can be learnt from other crime issues. This research and combined programme of addressing the issues should start to see a coordinated approach as well as monitoring of the rates of crime against Heritage Assets.
Both Ipswich Borough Council and Suffolk County Council have signed up to the ARCH scheme. Ipswich Borough Council have stated that –
Our heritage assets are vital to the special character and attractiveness of Ipswich for inward investment, tourism, regeneration and for fostering pride in our neighbourhoods. Crime and anti-social behaviour damage our historic buildings and devalues the enjoyment that residents and visitors gain from them. The damage done is often impossible to put right.
Lets hope that this new initiative and driver for change ensures the long term protection of our Historic Environment for ours and future generations.
