Antwerp (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Antwerp is using an invisible varnish with a unique code to mark bronze statues on grave monuments allowing identification even if stolen and melted down. This aims to deter metal theft but some scrap dealers are concerned about the practical challenges of checking every piece.
Antwerp is taking steps to safeguard copper and bronze statues on grave monuments from being stolen. They will use a special invisible varnish with a unique code on the statues. This code acts as a marker so that even if the statues are taken and melted down they can still be identified. Stealing metal from cemeteries has been a problem so Antwerp came up with a smart idea. They’re marking each statue with a special code hidden in the varnish to stop theft and help find them if they’re stolen. Antwerp is serious about protecting cultural and memorial items and dealing with the issue of metal theft.
Why Antwerp’s invisible statue codes face pushback from scrap dealers?
Some scrap dealers in Antwerp aren’t happy about the new rule. They feel they weren’t told about it like the city said they would be. Many only wanted to talk about it without giving their names. “It’s going to take up a lot of our time, and time is money,” says a trader from Deurne. “If we have to do this every time, we won’t have time for other jobs.It’s not practical to check everything.”
Putting invisible codes on statues in Antwerp’s cemeteries is a good way to stop metal theft but scrap dealer Luc Moortgat from Schelle has a point. It’s hard for dealers to check every piece for these codes because they handle a lot of metal. This could make it tough for the varnish system to work well. To make things better the cemetery people, police and scrap dealers need to work together. They should make clear rules on how to find and check metals with marks. Training the dealers on these rules can help them follow the laws against theft.Using scanners that can see invisible codes can make it easier to identify marked metals making it simpler to protect Antwerp’s cultural and memorial items.
Luc Moortgat from Schelle has some doubts about the system. He wonders why scrap dealers have to do the checking since they’re not police. It’s hard for them to investigate every piece thoroughly. Even if they take details from the seller it’s tricky to tell if something is stolen like a crucifix. Moortgat also questions if the new measure really makes sense. He believes that metal theft is often done by gangs who sell the stolen items in other regions not locally. This might not have a big impact. He thinks the cost of marking all statues might not be worth what it can prevent.
