Professional Documents
Culture Documents
N
ighthawking - what is the problem?
'The loss of the objects probably of little (monetary) value as metal does not
survive well on the site - is not the most disappointing aspect of this crime;
it is the damage that has been done to the archaeological record that is most
significant. These objects when recorded in their proper contexts are likely to
have provided much valuable evidence about the dating and function of the
site - this information is now lost forever. As the finds themselves had been
pre-donated to the Lincolnshire archaeological collection and would have been
publicly available the theft was actually committed against us all. Even worse the
loss of the educational value of the objects is a crime not only against the present
generation but against future generations. This is the crime of a particularly
immoral and selfish person.' Lindum dig website
F
acts and Figures
The most effective law to use is the Raising the profile of heritage crime
Theft Act, which if applied appropriately, must be a priority for future action.
consistently and regularly, and backed Currently heritage crime does not exist
by strong CPS and court support, would as a distinct category of offence in
go a long way to solve the problem. police statistics, and there is therefore
no requirement to record any heritage
If a few highly publicised cases were element involved. This needs to be
brought initially, with appropriate addressed to ensure that Nighthawking
penalties - involving imprisonment in is a recorded offence, so its scale can
very serious cases, or increased fines, be monitored.
confiscation of equipment used and
the proceeds of the crime - this could
have a powerful deterrent effect. Other
heritage crime, stressing the intellectual
losses rather than the monetary issues.
Actions taken by landowners
One way proven to be effective in CASE STUDY
preventing Nighthawking is to allow
responsible metal detectorists to detect
a site. Encouragement should be given
Catterick, North Yorkshire
to the development of such partnerships
between landowners and responsible Near Catterick, North Yorkshire, there
metal detectorists, emphasising the are two Scheduled Roman sites: a
mutual benefits to both parties. roadside settlement at Bainesse and the
Roman town, Cataractonium itself. In
At the moment many landowners are common with other Roman sites these
reluctant to involve the police. It is have both been targeted by Nighthawks
very important to increase their faith on numerous occasions.
in the legal system, which can only
really be achieved through successful In 1996, with the landowner's support,
prosecutions with appropriate penalties. local metal detectorists approached
They also need to know that the police North Yorkshire County Heritage Unit
will respond to reported incidents. and English Heritage, the latter agreeing
If Nighthawking is a persistent problem to fund a programme of archaeological
on their land then they need to feel investigations. Three seasons of work
that they can work with heritage bodies were carried out combining systematic
and the police to provide support metal detecting surveys by the local
and practical help in prevention and detectorists with finds location by
detection. Any increase in reporting Northern Archaeological Associates.
will also aid in future monitoring of the This work reinforced the significance
patterns of Nighthawking. Guidance of the site, supplementing evaluation
needs to be provided to landowners excavations undertaken in 1993 in
on these issues. advance of the proposed A1 (M)
motorway and providing additional
support for the case for protecting
the site through scheduling. The co-
operative exercise with legitimate
detectorists did much to reduce
further Nighthawk activity.
P
ublicise the positive effects of responsible
metal detecting and the negative effects of
Nighthawking RECOMMENDATION 4
The Survey was set up to examine the increasing public awareness of cultural
perceived problem of Nighthawking. heritage and the damaging effects of
Part of the problem is that the subject heritage crime. The introduction of
is clouded by ignorance and prejudice the Treasure Act (1996) and Code of
on both sides of the debate, with self- Practice of Responsible Metal Detecting
appointed champions of both extremes in England and Wales (2006), and the
broadcasting antagonistic propaganda role of organisations such as the NCMD
via the various available media, serving have also been cited as helping stop
only to perpetuate a pointless conflict. this criminal damage. However, there
remains a degree of suspicion and
Many individuals and organisations like prejudice on both sides which needs to
the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) be addressed by further initiatives,
and the National Council for Metal co-operation and communication.
Detecting (NCMD) are building bridges
from both sides, both by supporting The unsuspected Viking
responsible metal detectorists cemetery at Cumwhitton
who follow the Code of Practice was first identified by the
of Responsible Metal Detecting in
find of a 10th century brooch
England and Wales, supporting properly
organised metal detecting rallies, where by a metal detectorist
the avoidance of archaeological damage
is the priority, and making constructive
contributions to the debates on the
various web forums.
The Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) data is recorded on the Scheme's online
was established in 1997 to record database (www.finds.org.uk) and, while
archaeological objects found by the the detailed findspots are protected on
public, including metal detectorists. For the public version of the database, full
the first time it established a mechanism details are made available to Historic
to systematically record these finds for Environment Records and academic
public benefit. PAS also compliments researchers.
the mandatory recording of Treasure
finds under the Treasure Act 1996. To date, the PAS has recorded more
than 365,000 archaeological finds, of
Initially the PAS operated as pilot which 77,606 were recorded in 2007;
schemes, but in 2003 Finds Liaison almost 85% of these were found by
Officers were established across metal detectorists. In the same period
England and Wales, so now any finder 748 finds (several cases include multiple
of an archaeological object can have it objects) were reported as Treasure.
recorded with an archaeologist and help
advance knowledge and learning; this The PAS also has an important
educational role, enabling finders (and
others) to get involved in archaeology
and learn about finds, and develop best
practice. As a result of PAS, relations
between archaeologists and finders
(once extremely distrustful of one
another) have improved considerably,
and it is such partnerships that provide
the best opportunity for tackling
Nighthawking and other illicit activity.
Roman road
0 20 m
Nails
I
mplement recent European initiatives on the
selling of antiquities
RECOMMENDATION 7
www.cadw.wales.gov.uk/ www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/
www.museumwales.ac.uk/ www.finds.org.uk/
www.thehumanjourney.net