Carabinieri Art Squad

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.

[1][4] The force investigates clandestine excavations, the theft and illicit trade in works of art, damage to monuments and archaeological zones, the illegal export of cultural property, and fakes.

Domestically it works in partnership with a number of universities, cultural foundations, and research centres, including ICCROM, as well as the local soprintendenze and ecclesiastical bodies.

Improved international collaboration, site security, and databases saw a drop of 14.5% in stolen Italian works between the two years, while the number of illegal archaeological excavations discovered fell from 238 in 2008 to 58 in 2009.

[11] The force has also been active in Iraq, surveying sites at risk, providing training, developing systems, and helping to recover 2,971 objects illicitly trafficked since 1990.