The British Museum has said the staff member accused of stealing or damaging around 2,000 artefacts is not cooperating with the institution’s search for them.
“One of the things that we’ve got to get to the bottom of is exactly the motivation of the individual who we believe is responsible,” British Museum chair George Osborne told the BBC. “But he has not been talking or cooperating.”
Osborne’s comments come as the museum announces the completion of an independent review of security, which has produced a series of recommendations to protect the collection.
The review was conducted by former British Museum trustee Nigel Boardman, deputy High Court judge Ian Karet, and chief constable of the British Transport Police Lucy D’Orsi.
It recommends that the British Museum finishes the documentation and digitisation of its entire collection, and includes a set of recommendations on audit and risk, governance, and security. The security measures have been redacted.
Osborne said the independent review “shows the British Museum is putting our own house in order, indeed we commissioned it because we were determined to learn the lessons of what went wrong”.
“The British Museum was the victim of thefts over a long period, and we apologise again that this was allowed to happen.
“The ongoing police investigation means the full report cannot be published today, but we have accepted the recommendations in full, and have started to recover hundreds of the stolen items.
“Above all, we’re determined to emerge from this period a stronger, more open, and more confident museum that is fit for the future. Thanks to the hard work of the review team we’re now equipped to do just that.”
In a statement, the British Museum said it is limited in what it can say about the thefts at this stage due to the ongoing police investigation.
Recommendations to protect the collection
However, it confirmed that the total number of missing or damaged items is around 2,000 and said a key target appears to have been unregistered items – mainly gems and jewellery.
Within the 2,000 damaged or missing items, around 1,500 are missing or stolen. Around 350 objects have had elements such as gold mounts removed, and around 140 have been damaged by tool marks.
Of the 1,500 missing or stolen items, 351 have already been returned, and more than 300 further objects have been identified.
The review’s recommendations include registering all items in the collection, and making more frequent and extensive inventory checks of the collection.
“This is a helpful set of recommendations, many of which we are already delivering on,” said Mark Jones, interim director of the British Museum. “No-one can pretend this has been an easy period for the museum, but I have the utmost admiration for the commitment of the staff to building a stronger future for the museum we all care so deeply about.”
Images courtesy of the British Museum
