Museum chief speaks out on police probe into 'thousands' of artefact thefts
The British Museum chief has spoken out on the police probe into reportedly thousands of thefts that have plagued the historic establishment.
The historic establishment has been rocked by allegations of thefts in recent weeks, that led to one member of staff being sacked and the Metropolitan Police investigating items found to be "missing, stolen or damaged".
These items were being kept in a storeroom and included gold and jewellery and Greek expert Peter John Higgs, 56, a senior curator, was later accused of being the thief and was fired from his position. Mr Higgs is believed to have been named to museum bosses three years ago after they went up for sale on eBay.
Hartwig Fischer - director of the British MuseumSpeaking out today, museum director Hartwig Fischer, has revealed that the person who raised concerns about missing items from the museum left out the small fact that they had many more artefacts in their own possession.
Mr Fischer said in a statement: “When allegations were brought to us in 2021 we took them incredibly seriously, and immediately set up an investigation. Concerns were only raised about a small number of items, and our investigation concluded that those items were all accounted for.”
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“We now have reason to believe that the individual who raised concerns had many more items in his possession, and it’s frustrating that that was not revealed to us as it would have aided our investigations. In 2022 we embarked on a full audit – which revealed a bigger problem. I reported my concerns to the trustees, and together we agreed to call in the police. We also then began the disciplinary process that resulted in a member of staff being dismissed.
“I am clear that at every step my priority has been the care of the incredible British Museum collection, and that continues today – with our commitment to learning lessons from the independent review, our determination to help the police with their criminal investigation, and our focus on the recovery programme.”
The string of thefts led to Greek archaeologist Despoina Koutsoumba warning that the British Museum was no longer a safe place to protect Greek heritage. Greece has long campaigned for the return of the Parthenon sculptures, known as the Elgin Marbles, but Britain has resisted returning the country's national treasure, insisting they were better off in London.
It's now believed that over 1,500 objects were stolen, damaged or destroyed in the crisis that's threatening to plunge the museum's reputation into the dirt.
But, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, MP Tim Loughton insisted that treasures were safe in the British Museum. He said: "What is particularly damaging is [the] blatant opportunism of the Greeks and others saying, 'Oh no, the British Museum is not safe',".
Ms Koutsoumba, director of the Association of Greek Archaeologists, told BBC Radio 4's World Tonight programme that they were "very worried" about how many Greek items were destroyed and that the sculptures clearly were not well protected in the museum.
She said: "We are very much worried how many Greek items were [among] these stolen items and we want to tell the British Museum that they cannot anymore say that Greek cultural heritage is more protected in the British Museum. They have to return the Parthenon marbles back because they are not safe in London."
She added that the potential security issues the thefts have exposed were a "problem for all museums in the world".
"All museums in the world have to learn what happened in the British Museum so that if we have problems in our security protocols [we can] change it," she said.
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