Art theftAmong the many crimes present today, the one that vandalizes not only property, but also historical context is that of art theft. A crime that took away the sacred character of churches as well as many other religious and historical sites. Thefts extended from World War II (WWII) to the time of the Holocaust. Among the objects removed from churches, relics were objects of high priority. These items were not only of great value to the churches from which they were stolen, but also of great value to relic collectors. Most of the items recovered at this time were either sold or stored underground. Most of these items that were in these secret locations have never been seen again. From the time of these so-called “relic hunters” to today, art theft has become something that has undergone extreme changes. It has gone from a crime that began with minor thefts of relics to a global crime requiring better prevention. Art theft is a crime that has increased over the last half of this century. “Art theft is now second only to drugs as the most lucrative illegal activity in the world, according to law enforcement officials. » (Journal of Commerce) Whether bought, created or stolen, art has become something in high demand. “The theft of works of art has experienced an unprecedented rise. Just knowing the number of items stolen and their total value is a real guessing game. (Dudar) This is a problem that we face not only as art owners and collectors, but also museums and auction houses. Anyone who owns a work of art is at risk of it being stolen. This work of art doesn't have to be out of the ordinary to be a target. Besides famous paintings, sculptures, and other types of artwork, many insignificant or little-known artworks are also stolen. “Most thefts seem to be committed by thieves without serious artistic training. Along with the good stuff, they tend to sweep away the junk – for example those gift shop paintings of children with huge eyes, which no serious collector would covet. (Lowenthal) On the other hand, some of these thefts are being committed by some of the best in the business. “Some thieves turned out to be professionals who, following fashion, moved from robbing video stores to burglarizing works of art. Some are actually specialists in the vehicle...... middle of paper ... that has been reported either stolen or missing. This not only helps law enforcement, but also museums, auction houses, and buyers/collectors. “The Art Loss Register database contains, free of charge, numerous losses looted from public and private collections between 1933 and 1945, as well as other missing works of art.” (Schillingford)Art theft is a crime on the rise, but with the use of these foundations and the methods used by museum security officials, its decline is slowing. Art theft is something that, due to system and human flaws, can never be successfully prevented. However, it may be such a difficult thing to achieve that a lack of interest will persist. The only way to effectively prevent art theft is to not own any at all. Works Cited Attrino, Tony. "Insurers get help tracking stolen art." National UnderwriterProperty & Casualty-Risk & Benefits Management. August 17, 1998. Vol. 102. N. 33. P. 45 (1). Burrows, Robin. “Clever protection from below. » Museum security.. 11, 1990.