Three gold thefts: Spain calls museum security meeting
Three gold thefts from local museums have put museum security under fresh scrutiny in Spain. Next week, the Culture Ministry will bring together directors of regional museums and specialists from the National Police’s Historical Heritage Brigade. They will discuss the protection of museums and the collections they hold.
It is the ministry’s second such meeting this year after the three thefts. The latest came last week, when the Treasure of Villena was stolen from MUVI museum in Villena, Alicante.
A trail of stolen coins
The Villena theft was the third case. In July, four raiders took two coin collections containing more than 200 gold coins from the Museum of Albacete.
In April, thieves stole the 149 coins that made up the Treasure of Villanueva de la Serena from the Provincial Archaeological Museum.
Security details under review
The ministry had already asked Spanish museums in July for details of their security arrangements and of works made from gold, silver or precious stones. Its Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage and Fine Arts then met regional museum authorities to strengthen security and cooperation.
The next meeting will also consider information from Europol about similar cases elsewhere in Europe linked to illicit trade. The Historical Heritage Brigade has requested an inventory from regional and state museums with significant numbers of objects made of gold, silver, other metals or precious stones.
After the first meeting on 28 August, the ministry said it had twice sought information from the Valencian government that police had requested to reinforce security. The requests went unanswered before the Villena theft, according to ministry sources. Each administration remains responsible for safeguarding the works it manages.
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Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com