The execution was crude and the planning shortsighted, but on February 1, 2006, as alarms blared,

Platinum and diamond necklace with platinum, diamond and emerald brooch, French, c. 1930, one of 200 pieces stolen from a Belgian art fair in August 2006.

a gang of masked thieves stripped a 17th-century manor house in southwest England of a treasure trove of art and antiques in 20 minutes. The loot—valued at an estimated $150 million and part of a collection amassed by reclusive multimillionaire Harry Hyams—then was tossed into two trucks and carried off into the night. It was Britain’s biggest burglary.

According to the FBI, art crime worldwide generates around $6 billion a year, making it the fourth-largest criminal activity, after drug running, arms dealing and money laundering. Feeding the growing international appetite for stolen art are the dizzying prices achieved for major pieces at auction and the publicity that follows in their wake.

And in that shadowy world, most art objects—more than 80 percent—are stolen from people’s homes, according to Scotland Yard. “Museum thefts grab the headlines, but the vast majority of stolen art is taken in residential burglaries,” says Detective Sergeant Vernon Rapley, who heads Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiques Unit in London. Big-ticket stolen artwork, the detective explains, is used as collateral, for ransom, barter or—depending on its value—to claim a reward. It has become a kind of alternative currency for criminals, helping them finance drug deals, arms transactions and other shady undertakings. Lesser-known artworks and antiques can often slip through the cracks and be sold at antiques fairs, galleries and, increasingly, on the Internet (a valuable antique firearms collection was recently discovered on eBay). And while a flurry of high-profile thefts in recent years have spurred museums to beef up security by installing sophisticated gadgetry and hiring better-trained personnel, many private collectors continue to rely on outdated alarms, poorly trained guards and even the neighbors to keep thieves at bay.

Will Geddes, who heads London-based International Corporate Protection (ICP) describes visiting a new client at his northern European retreat: “There was a Picasso, a Hockney and, I believe, a Pollock, all hanging in the living room. They didn’t even have glass over the front of the paintings,” he says, noting that any unscrupulous visitor could have walked away with a fortune hidden under his coat.

“An armed bank robbery nets on average about $1,000 for the thief,” says Robert Goldman, an art attorney with Fox Rothschild in Philadelphia who until recently was one of the top U.S. prosecutors for art crime. “Stealing art from a home is easier, much less risky and will earn the thief more money.” Furthermore, he adds, given the scarcity of police and federal agents detailed to work art crime, the odds are definitely in the thief’s favor. By the FBI’s own accounting, only 10 percent of stolen art worldwide is ever recovered. “Collectors need to recognize the risks and take extra precautions,” he says.

SEEK EXPERT ADVICE
Embedded microchips, infrared alarms, anti-touch sensors and button-sized electronic trackers—there is a dizzying array of gadgets and gizmos available and an equally impressive number of security systems. (Depending on your budget, a home security system can range from a simple electronic alarm to one that includes CCTV cameras with zoom lenses, infrared lights, loudspeakers and more. Some home systems are managed by a live-in “residential security team” to offer maximum protection.) The trick is knowing which system or device best suits your collection.

“No. 1, get professional advice, otherwise you’ll end up with a security system that may be completely inappropriate to your needs,” says Dick Ellis of the Art Management Group in London. This usually means hiring a private security firm to conduct a risk assessment of the property and advise on how best to protect the artwork.

Ellis, who once headed Scotland Yard’s Art and Antiques Unit and led the team that recovered Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” after it was stolen in Oslo in 1994, says a good security consultant will design a plan based on the collection and the client’s lifestyle. A tailored service doesn’t come cheap: Costs range from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands for a high-tech system with on-site staff.