A report recommending that the UK signs the Unesco convention banning the illicit trade in cultural property has been welcomed by the government. Ninety-one other countries have already signed up to the 1970 convention. It is thought the trade costs the UK up to 150m per year in insured losses.
International police believe that criminals launder profits through untraceable stolen goods.
May. Its members are drawn from the worlds of archaeology, museums and the arts trade. The panel's report makes 16 recommendations, including a new criminal offence of importing, dealing in or possessing stolen or illegally excavated cultural objects. It also suggests the setting up of an art and antiques police unit and a database telling both dealers and museums of the status of artefacts. Targeted by thieves A major part of the problem stems from the fact that most of the objects stolen are uninsured. This includes the 3m painting by French impressionist Paul Cezanne, stolen from an Oxford museum in January.