More than 600 artifacts have been stolen from the Bristol Museum’s British Empire and Commonwealth collection, in what UK police describe as a “high-value burglary.”
On Thursday, authorities released CCTV footage of the suspects as part of a public appeal for leads on the robbery, which occurred in the morning hours of September 25. A police spokesperson said that information on the theft had been withheld until now to accommodate the investigation.
The BBC reported that military memorabilia, jewelry, and historical artifacts, including a a carved ivory Buddha and a belt buckle from the East India Company uniform, were were among the objects stolen from the archive in Cumberland Basin area of Bristol.
“The theft of many items which carry a significant cultural value is a significant loss for the city,” Detective Constable Dan Burgan said in a statement. So far, police have conducted “significant” CTV inquiries and launched a forensic investigation.
A spokesperson for the Avon and Somerset Police, added: “These items, many of which were donations, form part of a collection that provides insight into a multi-layered part of British history, and we are hoping that members of the public can help us to bring those responsible to justice.”
The jewelry stolen from the museum range from necklaces, bangles, and rings spannig the British Imperial era, as well as bronze figurines and geological specimens. According to the museum’s website, its the collection spans “household belongings, souvenirs, photographs and papers of British people who lived and worked in the colonies” from the late 19th century to more recent decades. That includes 2,000 films and 500,000 photographs.”
“These artifacts were part of a collection that documents the links between Britain and countries formerly part of the British Empire from the late 18th Century to the late 20th Century,” Philip Walker, head of culture and creative industries at Bristol City Council, which oversees the museum, told the BBC.
The Bristol break-in marks the latest in a year-long string of high-profile museum robberies, most notably the October 19 heist of the French Crown Jewels from the Louvre. Just days after that theft made global headlines, a woman was arrested and charged in connection with the theft of $1 million worth of gold from the Natural History Museum in Paris—in a break-in that occurred only weeks before the historic jewel heist. These incidents have renewed of the security measures reportedly in place at museums to safeguard their collections, with an administrative inquiry launched in the case of the Louvre.
