The Europol report on thefts in museums reached the Villena Museum after the theft of the Treasury

The Europol report that warned of the increase in thefts in museums in Europe earlier this week arrived at the Villena Museum (MUVI) one day after the Villena Treasure was stolen.

Last Monday, Europol warned of the emergence of less specialized and more violent criminals who seek gold, jewelry, precious stones and antiques for their value and ease of placing them on the illegal market.

The European police coordination agency warned in a report published on August 24 of a transformation in both the tactics and objectives of museum robberies, traditionally a non-violent practice of organized crime.

Sources from the Valencian Department of Culture point out that they have a list in which three emails appear with the subject 'Europol Information', which arrived from the Museum Service of the Generalitat to the MUVI mailbox between 2:00 p.m. and 2:05 p.m. on August 28, one day after the theft of the Treasury.

Likewise, they have pointed out that the Ministry of Culture shared the Europol alert on Friday at 1:18 p.m. and have confirmed that this Ministry asked all the autonomous communities to send said report to all their museums, at which time they proceeded to send it.

Until that moment, the Generalitat was not aware of the Europol alert, according to the same sources.

More violent robberies and for precious metals

The Europol report, to which EFE has had access, warns that thefts in museums are increasingly "more aggressive, with a change towards violent and forceful methods", which, according to the European police cooperation body, could indicate "the participation of new criminal networks."

The writing also points to the choice of stolen objects, such as gold, given the ease of melting it without leaving a trace, or precious stones from jewelry, given "a strong demand in the criminal market and the ease of illicit resale."

"Both types of items are attractive to criminal networks due to their visibility, accessibility and the perception that museum security measures are less rigorous than those of jewelry stores," the report states.

On the other hand, Europol also explains in its communication that, among the objects sought by the gangs, there could also be ancient Chinese porcelain, since "they are likely to be easily sold on the art market."