The practical use of police databases of stolen works of art in the protection of national heritage in selected European Union countries

The effectiveness in the protection of works of art constituting national heritage depends on many factors. These factors include, among other things, binding legal regulations within the scope of the protection of works of art and national heritage sites, good organisation of police forces specialising in this type of activities and cooperation in this field with other state and local government institutions and the wider society. Apart from police officers’ commitment and experience, police databases that are dedicated to works of art also play an extremely important role. This article presents selected police databases devoted to works of art that are currently used by police organisations and the role of these databases in protecting national heritage in selected European Union countries. The content of the article was prepared on the basis of the analysis of literature, existing legislation and interviews with police officers and experts. The information obtained during the interviews was subjected to qualitative analysis and presented in a descriptive version.