This article is about the police operation to recover stolen art. For the World War II German plan to invade Iceland, see Operation Ikarus. For other uses, see Icarus (disambiguation).
Detail of the 15th-century painted oak rood screen at Holy Trinity Church, Torbryan, which was targeted by art thieves
Operation Icarus is a police investigation into the organised theft and black market trade of religious and church artefacts in England and Wales.[1] The investigation, led by West Mercia Police, commenced in 2013 and has subsequently been declared a major incident.[2] According to ArtWatch UK—an organisation which campaigns for the protection of works of art and architecture—the investigation has uncovered "the systematic plundering of churches in England and Wales [that] has gone largely unnoticed for up to ten years."[3] Detective Inspector Martyn Barnes, head of the operation, said: "Some of the items that have been taken are described as priceless because they are unique. Some of them may fetch tens of thousands of pounds on the black market; others go for £50, £60. We believe that some of these crimes date back to 2002—2003."[4]
International art crime is "a $6 billion a year business" according to the United Nations, and "the fourth most lucrative sector in international crime after drugs, money laundering and illegal arms shipments."[5][6] Around 8% of all stolen art worldwide is taken from churches.[7] In England and Wales the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Heritage and Cultural Property Crime Working Group estimates the theft of art and antiques to be worth around £300 million, "second only to drug dealing and more costly than the theft of stolen vehicles."[8][9]
^Tanner, Bill (7 May 2015). "Stolen art returned to Herefordshire churches". Hereford Times. Hereford. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
^Morris, Steven (20 May 2015). "Detectives unearth scores of church thefts dating back 10 years". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
^Hallett, Florence (8 June 2015). "Does the art trade turn a blind eye to church thefts?". ArtWatch UK. London. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
^Flynn, Sophie (15 June 2015). "Images released of church items recovered in Operation Icarus". West Mercia Police. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
^Farouky, J; Carassava, A; Iverson, J; Murphy, M (21 January 2008). "Spirited Away". Time International (South Pacific Edition). No. 2. p. 36.
^Vogt, Andrea (28 November 2014). "Catholic church to clamp down on religious art theft". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
^Wittman, Robert (2010). Priceless: How I went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures. New York: Crown. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-307-46148-3.
^Derbyshire, Tom (27 November 2013). "Police chiefs call for new theft database". Antiques Trade Gazette. London. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
^Pearson, Adrian (19 November 2013). "Police Specialists Fight £300m Art Theft Trade". The Journal. Newcastle upon Tyne.
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