[MSN] Interpol, Brazil announce partnership to fight theft of art pieces

[Museum Security Network Mailinglist]

Interpol, Brazil announce partnership to fight theft of art pieces

Brazil's Rio de Janeiro state and Interpol announced on Tuesday a partnership to train the state's police officers to fight the theft of works of art.

The head of Rio de Janeiro governor's Home Office, Fernando Peregrino, and Interpol's Secretary-General Ronald Noble made the announcement at the opening ceremony of Interpol's General Assembly in Rio.

According to the agreement, State Secretary of Public Security Roberto Precioso will be in charge of defining, alongside with Noble, the best way to qualify the police officers, in order to get a faster response from the police when a piece of of art works is stolen.

Rio has been plagued by a series of museum robberies over the past years, including the theft of paintings by Picasso, Matisse and Monet from Chacara do Ceu museum and of rare photographs and prints from Biblioteca Nacional (National Library).

Some of the art works stolen from Rios museums have been registered, and Interpol will help track the pieces in the international market.

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