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heroin and cocaine. To combat this epidemic of art crime, police in Europe and America have set up special art theft squads.
    The Art Squad
    Penalties for art crimes are much stiffer in England than in the United States. In England, art theft is taken very seriously, and the minimum sentence is usually five years. The English feel that when art is stolen, part of the national heritage is also stolen. In the United States, however, jail sentences for art-related crimes are usually the exception, rather than the rule.
    London is a clearinghouse for black market art and antiques, but it has one of the most efficient art detective units in the world. The Art Squad was established in 1968 at New Scotland Yard with approximately eleven detectives, and it has recovered more than $350 million dollars worth of stolen art. Among the first to use a computer, Scotland Yard has built up an international log of some 25,000 paintings and sculptures and other art treasures —a sort of identification kit. The description of artworks is fed into a mainframe computer, and within seconds, Scotland Yard can track an item offered for sale to an auction house or recovered by police forces throughout the world.
    Whenever an art loss is reported, details of the stolen pieces are published in the top art and antiques magazines. This helps to stop the sale of the object on the open market since legitimate dealers resent the intrusion of illegitimate dealers into the art market. In addition, the art squad has encouraged dealers to organize and communicate. For ex-
    ample, if Dealer A suffers a loss, he would contact Dealers B and C, who in turn contact two more and so on. It is hoped that the publicity would keep the theft from progressing into a sale.
    Members of the New Scotland Yard Art Squad are a certain breed. Not only do they know the foremost in detection methods and how to capture criminals, but they also bring a commitment to art and its heritage. Many members have a particular interest of their own, such as paintings or sculpture, furniture, silver, glass or antiques. They bring the perspective of collectors to the squad, which is invaluable.
    Art and Jewelry Theft Bureau of NYC
    The New York City Police Department is also active in catching art thieves with its undercover Art and Jewelry Theft Bureau. Since New York and London are key financial centers in the international art market, it is imperative that New York City occupy this position in the capture of art thieves. One of the most famous art theft detectives ever assigned to the Theft Bureau was Robert Volpe. Volpe is an artist as well as a detective, and it is this commitment to the art world that enabled Volpe to infiltrate many major art thefts rings. He was instrumental in recovering millions of dollars worth of art and jewelry and precious antiques, sculpture and the likes from the rings of thieves who attempted to sell it. Detective Volpe is one of the new breed of police officers who have become more and more specialized in areas of detective work.
    Interpol
    Detectives trained in the art market and experienced in the methods of dealers and crime syndicates specializing in art robberies have linked their efforts to beat the international racket. Interpol headquarters, located just outside Paris, receives dozens of reports of stolen paintings, sculptures and other rare objects and immediately circulates them to offices throughout the world. These bulletins go down the line to regional police forces who then check with their informants and contacts in the art trade. More than in any other criminal investigation, speed is vital in disseminating this information and publicizing it in the press and on television. Most stolen art sells more easily outside its country of origin, where it goes unrecognized. But once a stolen masterpiece or a valuable object appears in the press, on television or in trade publications, no honest dealer will touch it, and even the most crooked fence