KRAJOWY OŚRODEK BADAŃ I DOKUMENTACJI ZABYTKÓW W ZWALCZANIU PRZESTĘPCZOŚCI PRZECIWKO DZIEDZICTWU ARCHEOLOGICZNEMU

One of the activities pursued by the National Heritage Board of Poland (KOBiDZ) is identifying and counteracting threats posed to archaeological heritage. Together with the Criminal Bureau at the Police Chief Headquarters, it is engaged in preparing a series of training courses for police officers, relating to archaeology, the conservation doctrine and associated laws; the introduction of the course will take place in autumn 2007. In cooperation with voivodeship conservators of historical monuments the National Board is working on plans of archaeological sites threatened with robbery; such maps will be made available to the police force in assorted counties and communes. The Department of Archaeology at KOBiDZ includes a functioning Archaeological Emergency Service, which at the request of a conservator of monuments conducts on-the-spot archaeological salvage operations on sites, which demand immediate intervention. The National Board collaborates with the national Team for Combating Crime against the National Heritage at the Police Chief Headquarters and its coordinators in voivodeship headquarters, to identify crimes committed on the archaeological market and the Internet, with particular attention paid to auction portal and discussions fora as well as offers made by antique shops. Control of the antiquities market is only the beginning of necessary steps if combating crime is to be effective. The police force and legal circles must be educated about archaeology and cultural property while the level of social awareness of, and responsibility for joint heritage must be raised.