Securing a museum, like all other forms of security, requires a careful balancing act between protection and accessibility.
Consider a jewelry store. In order to sell valuable gems, customers must be able to see them, first through clear glass cases and then, should they be interested in a purchase, outside of the case and up close. The seller has little option but to allow this access if they want to make a sale.
To balance this access, the store might secure its points of egress through a switch that unlocks them and is accessible only to the employee. The store might also have an armed guard. The cases might be arranged in a manner to make it difficult for a would-be thief to make a quick getaway.
These are the same considerations and trade-offs that museums must make to secure their collections. But museums face unique challenges since some of the measures available in the jewelry store example are not practical for most art institutions.
Many museums are unwilling to have armed guards present in the galleries. The most valuable artworks are on display because they draw visitors. And in a large public venue, such control of points of egress is impossible and likely illegal.
Still, museums must rely on a layered approach to security to ensure that no single failure of a security system, electronic or otherwise, leads to catastrophe. While layers of security can be numerous, here are three that no museum should ignore.
1. Employee and Contractor Background Checks
There is no excuse for not thoroughly checking the backgrounds of all people with unescorted access to a museum, regardless of the size of the institution.
The FBI estimates that more than 80% of all museum heists involve some sort of internal complicity, meaning an employee or contractor was involved. Vetting must include a nationwide criminal search, and institutions must establish strict guidelines regarding suitability for employment and access.
2. Self-Assessment
No security program should ever become complacent. The longer security practices and routines are in place, the easier it is for criminals to identify them and their weaknesses.
The only remedy is consistent self-evaluation to ensure that all measures continue to be robust and effective. This must include audits of employee access, including proximity cards, IDs, and hard keys. Hiring outside consultants to periodically assess your security program can be of great benefit.
3. Risk-Based Decision Making
Every museum must evaluate the risk to its institution, employees, and collection, and make decisions accordingly. This should apply to everything from budgeting and hiring to deployment of resources.
Relying on a “that’s what everyone else does” approach is a mistake many museums make. It’s far more important to determine what specific risks your institution faces when making security decisions.
There are many more steps a museum must take to secure its collection. But ensuring that these three are an essential part of a museum’s security program are key to preventing theft and other malicious acts against art.