Interpol and advancement in international police cooperation on art crime

Abstract

Interpol is probably the first manifestation of a coordinated international policing effort in the fight against cross-border crime and its roots can be traced to the late 19th century. While the potential of the protection system for cultural heritage (PSYCHE) project to improve the fight against art crime seems great, reality will probably reveal many of its limitations. The hope that PSYCHE will have an effect on the recovery of stolen works of art globally will most likely not be justified. Even according to Interpol and police practitioners involved in art crime investigations, the effect of the new initiative is rather focused on Europe and the EU in particular. However, including one of the largest European databases Leonardo, the Italian database on stolen works of art into the Interpol system will very likely enhance the chances of discovering art thefts and might even lead to the inclusion of further European databases. Interpol is probably the first manifestation of a coordinated international policing effort in the fight against cross-border crime and its roots can be traced to the late 19th century. While the potential of the protection system for cultural heritage (PSYCHE) project to improve the fight against art crime seems great, reality will probably reveal many of its limitations. The hope that PSYCHE will have an effect on the recovery of stolen works of art globally will most likely not be justified. Even according to Interpol and police practitioners involved in art crime investigations, the effect of the new initiative is rather focused on Europe and the EU in particular. However, including one of the largest European databases Leonardo, the Italian database on stolen works of art into the Interpol system will very likely enhance the chances of discovering art thefts and might even lead to the inclusion of further European databases. Show more