Description

The Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, better known as the Carabinieri T.P.C., is the branch of the Italian Carabinieri responsible for combatting art and antiquities crimes.

Il Nucleo Tutela Patrimonio Artistico was founded by General Arnaldo Ferrara on 3 May 1969. It was the first specialist police force in the world in this sector, predating the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property of 1970. On 5 March 1992 the force was renamed Comando Carabinieri per la Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale.

The main activities carried out by the unit include combating theft, illegal excavations of archaeological sites, as well as trafficking and counterfeiting of stolen property. Equal attention is paid to inspecting premises of antique dealers and to tracing and, possibly, returning stolen or illegally exported art pieces. Investigators manage such tasks by consulting the “database of stolen works of art”, a comprehensive list available to civilians and to foreign police forces alike.