British Museum ‘confident’ similar theft will not happen as records digitised
British Museum interim director Sir Mark Jones is appearing before the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on Wednesday.
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Your support makes all the difference.British Museum interim director Sir Mark Jones said the institution is “confident that a theft of this kind can never happen again” after thousands of artefacts were stolen from its collection.
Before Sir Mark appears in front of MPs on Wednesday, the London-based attraction said 2.4 million records will be uploaded digitally or improved to safeguard the collection.
He will be grilled alongside former chancellor George Osborne, chairman of the trustees, during a one-off evidence session of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee about the thefts and the impact on the British Museum’s international reputation.
The British Museum revealed on August 16 that the items – including gold jewellery, semi-precious stones and glass – were missing, stolen or damaged.
Last month, Mr Osborne told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme an estimated 2,000 items were missing and suggested the institution did not have a complete catalogue of everything in its collection, which has been amassed over several hundred years.
In a statement on Wednesday, Sir Mark said: “Following the discovery that objects have been stolen from the collection, we have taken steps to improve security and are now confident that a theft of this kind can never happen again.
“But we cannot and must not assume that the security of the collection, in a wider sense, can be achieved simply by locking everything away.
“It is my belief that the single most important response to the thefts is to increase access, because the better a collection is known – and the more it is used – the sooner any absences are noticed.
“So that’s why, rather than locking the collection away, we want to make it the most enjoyed, used and seen in the world.
“Over the next five years we have set ourselves the objective of improving and completing the online record of every object in the British Museum’s collection.
“It is a big task, with 2.4 million records to upload or upgrade, but more than half is already done and when it is finished it will mean that everyone, no matter where in the world they live, will be able to see everything we have – and use this amazing resource in a myriad of ways.
“At the same time we intend to strengthen our partnerships with museums throughout the UK and across the world, so that our travelling exhibitions take the real thing to millions who may never visit the British Museum itself, while also providing enhanced access to our study rooms so that every interested person can come and see anything we have in store.”
Increased digitisation means the British Museum will add pictures and more details about the history of items and any improvements made to them, along with making the archive more easily searched by the public.
In August, an unnamed member of staff was sacked and the British Museum said it is taking legal action.
The thefts were over a “significant” period of time before 2023, the PA news agency understands.
The museum’s then-director Hartwig Fischer – who had announced in July that he would step down next year – resigned on August 25.
The German art historian said the museum “did not respond as comprehensively as it should have in response to warnings in 2021” about the thefts.
Former Victoria And Albert (V&A) Museum director Sir Mark was confirmed in his new role in early September and later that month the institution said “60 items have now been returned, with a further 300 identified and due to be returned imminently”.
The body also released images of classical Greek and Roman gems and jewellery – which are similar to the missing artefacts but not pictures of the absent items – to the public, which could lead to the recovery of more objects.
An international panel of experts has also been formed to help recover the objects and an independent review into the thefts is being led by former British Museum trustee Sir Nigel Boardman and Chief Constable of the British Transport Police Lucy D’Orsi.
A Metropolitan Police investigation is under way and a man was interviewed under caution on August 23.
No arrests have been made.