31st
Site security again
Dr Maksoud is reporting on the break-in at the Tell el-Daba magazine which is now being investigated by the police, but only five objects have been stolen.
He said that the SCA should have a special police force to guard antiquities, rather than the tourist police. One option is to transfer all antiquities to Cairo or to transfer them to other museums in the Delta but this will make research difficult for missions. Dr Maksoud feels it would be better to have special police force to guard the sites and magazines.
Jeffrey Spencer agreed with Dr Maksoud that it is preferable to keep objects in site magazines if they can be secured.
Dr Maksoud said that missions should have five or ten years to study material and then it should be transferred to museums or central stores, as site magazines are filling up, limiting further excavation. The SCA should build more magazines and increase security.
Dr Mohammed Mostafa Abd el-Maguib agreed that sites and magazines need better guards and they should be armed, as at the moment unarmed guards cannot be expected to stand up to armed robbers.
Dr Maksoud explained that SCA guards are not, at present, allowed by the police to carry arms.
Dr Aiman Ashmawy Ali suggested that, after the five years allowed for study, objects should be moved to a nearby regional museum, not to Cairo, and be all kept together so they will be easily available for future study.
Dr Eva Lange stressed the importance of having a database recording all the objects so that they can be tracked if they are moved.
Dr Mustafa Abu Hussein said that greater use should be made of technology, such as CCTV cameras to protect sites and museums.
Dr Maksoud pointed out that the magazines at Daba and Qantara do have CCTV which recorded the thefts but did not prevent them being robbed. Good security depends on effective guards who must have specialist training and be more professional.
He added that this seemed to be a particular problem for the Delta as there had not been many similar robberies recently in Upper Egypt where local people were perhaps more aware of the importance of preserving sites and antiquities.
Dr Jeffrey Spencer reminded delegates that the 2009 Workshop had agreed that there should be a special SCA Committee for the Delta and he would recommend this approach for overseeing the special problems of the Delta sites and magazines. He hoped funding would be found for a new antiquities police force once tourist income revives.
Dr Maksoud ended by saying that Dr Zahi Hawass would be meeting soon with the police to discuss security concerns.
Dr Penny Wilson thanked Dr Maksoud and all the delegates and hoped to see everyone again early in the morning.
