Police say over 600 items stolen from UK museum

LONDON – More than 600 items from a collection documenting the links between Britain and countries in the former British Empire were stolen from a British museum in September, the police said on Dec 11.

Avon and Somerset police have launched an appeal for information about four men captured on CCTV images on Sept 25 outside a building in the south-western city of Bristol, which housed items from the collection.

“More than 600 artefacts of various descriptions were taken by the offenders,” the police said in a statement about the theft from the British Empire and Commonwealth Collection.

“The theft of many items, which carry a significant cultural value, is a significant loss for the city,” said Mr Dan Burgan, an officer.

“These items, many of which were donations, form part of a collection that provides insight into a multi-layered part of British history.”

The police said they wanted to talk to four unidentified men, all wearing caps or hoodies, seen in the CCTV images carrying bags in the early hours.

The police said the burglary took place between 1am and 2am on Sept 25 in the city’s Cumberland Road area.

According to the collection’s website, the “unique collection documents the links between Britain and countries in the British Empire from the late 19th century to recent times”.

It contains diverse objects, many of them from the Pacific islands, and clothing from African nations.

There are also photographs, films, personal papers, as well as sound recordings to provide “insights into diverse lives and landscapes during a challenging and controversial period of history”, the website added.

The collection had been transferred from the former British Empire and Commonwealth Museum in Bristol when it closed in 2012.

It remained in the care of the city council, as well as Bristol Museums, which encompasses five different institutions, and the city’s archives.

The revelation comes after thieves stole crown jewels in October from the Louvre in Paris.

In August 2023, the British Museum in London revealed that about 1,800 items had been taken from its world-renowned collections by a former employee. A few hundred were later recovered.

Museum director Hartwig Fischer resigned in August 2023 after admitting the institution did not act “as it should have” on warnings that items had gone missing. AFP