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Protection

Law enforcement guide

Recognising cultural property, carrying out a seizure by the book and knowing whom to contact: OIMAP's practical guide for police officers, gendarmes and magistrates.

Updated : October 28, 2026· 3 min read

Pages in this section

Dr. James Stuart; Mary Campbell Stuart, Gilbert Stuart (c. 1815)Identify cultural propertyRecognising cultural property in the field: signs, categories, marks, photographs and comparison with the BIOP database.› Ships near the Trieux River, Paul Signac (1925)Seizure procedureSecuring, handling, documenting, keeping and passing on: the steps of a seizure of cultural property that complies with the law and protects the object.› Architectural Conference (c. 1622)Law enforcement contactsThe emergency lines, focal points, liaison officers and experts to contact depending on the situation.›

A field manual

Sailing Vessels: Armed Four-Master Putting Out to Sea, Pieter Bruegel (1561–65)
Sailing Vessels: Armed Four-Master Putting Out to Sea, Pieter Bruegel (1561–65)

A police officer who finds a suspect object in a vehicle, a search or a warehouse must know what to do: recognise it, handle it without damaging it, seize it in due form and alert the right contacts. This guide gives them the actions and the contacts.

It is aimed at police officers, gendarmes, magistrates and specialised investigators. It is published in three languages, updated every year and complemented by level 2 to 4 training.

The section has three pages: identifying property, the seizure procedure and the contacts.

  • Law enforcement
  • Guide
  • Field

Law enforcement guide in figures

2,300Officers authorised for the BIOP
24 h / 24Emergency line
1,100Officers trained with INTERPOL
61States represented

Source: OIMAP Heritage Protection Department.

Breakdown

Police44%
Gendarmerie and judicial customs26%
Magistrates14%
Other services16%

Readers of the guide by function.

Why a specific guide

Cultural property calls for particular handling: a painting is not handled like a piece of furniture, an archaeological statuette is not cleaned, a manuscript is not leafed through with kitchen gloves. Poor handling can destroy evidence or irreparably damage property.

The guide also gives legal benchmarks: seizure regime, status of objects, preservation of evidence, restitution. It links national procedures with international mechanisms.

Sketches in Belgium and Germany, Volume I: Hall of Justice of the Magistrates du Franc, Bruges, Louis Haghe (1840)
Sketches in Belgium and Germany, Volume I: Hall of Justice of the Magistrates du Franc, Bruges, Louis Haghe (1840)
Mercury (Budha), from a Mandi Astrology Series, Sanju (c. 1810)
Mercury (Budha), from a Mandi Astrology Series, Sanju (c. 1810)
The Antechamber of the Palace of Justice, Paris, Charles Meryon (1855)
The Antechamber of the Palace of Justice, Paris, Charles Meryon (1855)

A guide in three stages

The first stage is recognition: knowing that an object may be cultural property and what makes it possible to match it with a BIOP record. The second is seizure: securing, handling, documentation, seals, report. The third is cooperation: alerting the BIOP unit, requesting an appraisal, contacting investigators in other countries.

Each stage relies on one-page practical sheets, usable in the field, and on document templates.

A support network

Law enforcement can rely on a network: the BIOP unit for checks, accredited experts for rapid appraisals, partner museums for temporary conservation, liaison officers for international cooperation.

For urgent cases, the emergency line makes it possible to obtain a specialist's opinion in a few minutes. Trained officers can also be put in touch with colleagues who have already handled similar cases.

A living guide

The guide is enriched by user feedback. Each year a consultation gathers the difficulties met in the field and suggestions for improvement. The sheets are reworked with officers, to ensure that they remain usable in real situations.

Lessons from joint operations are also built in: new concealment techniques, new types of property, new procedures. An updated version is circulated each spring.

The three stages of intervention

Three stages
StageObjectiveTool
RecogniseIdentify cultural propertyIdentification sheets, BIOP
SeizeSecure and documentSeizure procedure, report
CooperateAlert, appraiseEmergency line, liaison officers

Landmarks

  1. First edition of the guide

    Paper version.

  2. Field sheets

    Pocket format.

  3. Digital version

    Application.

  4. Edition in three languages

    Annual update.

If in doubt, do not touch

Sketchbook, The Dells, N° 127, page 090 & 91: Harbor with a Road, Maurice Prendergast (c. 1919–1921)
Sketchbook, The Dells, N° 127, page 090 & 91: Harbor with a Road, Maurice Prendergast (c. 1919–1921)
The Calumny of Apelles, Giorgio Ghisi (1560)
The Calumny of Apelles, Giorgio Ghisi (1560)
Chemin de fer de Toulouse à Bayonne. Pont de l'Aran (en trois arches de 17m d'ouverture chacune). Situation des travaux au 21 juillet 1861, Édouard Baldus (1861)
Chemin de fer de Toulouse à Bayonne. Pont de l'Aran (en trois arches de 17m d'ouverture chacune). Situation des travaux au 21 juillet 1861, Édouard Baldus (1861)

Intervention alone or with support

Landscape with Saint John the Baptist, Herri met de Bles (c. 1540)

Alone

The local team
  • Immediate responsiveness
  • Risk of error
  • Possible for simple cases

For common objects.

Return of the Fishing Boats at Collioure, near the Spanish Border, Adolphe Appian (1878)

With support

With the BIOP unit or an expert
  • Greater reliability
  • Delay of a few hours
  • Recommended for important cases

For sensitive cases.

Reacting to suspect property

  1. Secure

    Protect the premises.

  2. Photograph

    Document in place.

  3. Search

    Consult the BIOP.

  4. Seize

    Handle with care.

  5. Alert

    Inform the unit.

In the investigator's case

An investigator

The Triumph of Mordecai, Lucas van Leyden (1515)
« The guide fits in a pocket. It stopped me damaging a two-thousand-year-old statue that I wanted to clean. »
Sergeant Cédric Laroche, investigator

Vocabulary of investigation

Seals
Marks guaranteeing the integrity of an object.
Report
Official record of an operation.
Scale ruler
Standard placed in a photograph.
Search
Search of a place by the authority.

Frequently asked questions

Is the guide public?

Its abridged version is; the full version is reserved for authorised officers.

Where to train?
Whom to contact in case of doubt?

The emergency line: see Contacts.

Is there an application?

Yes, for authorised officers.

Useful documents

Contacts

A Palace with an Arched Bridge (A Roman Villa), Hubert Robert (1760)
A Palace with an Arched Bridge (A Roman Villa), Hubert Robert (1760)
Heritage Protection DepartmentParis — Headquarters+33 1 00 00 03 00protection@oimap.exampleMonday to Friday, 9 am – 5 pm

Identify property

Fishing Boats along the Beach, Eugène Isabey (c. 1830)

Recognise the object.

Identify property
Image credits (19)
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