- Discover what is exactly missing, as far as possible.
- Trace and describe the history of use.
- Record your findings and assess.
- Communication
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- Not only do thefts of archives or manuscripts often remain undiscovered; organisations also fear negative publicity if thefts are made public. This misunderstanding and misappropriation limits the traceability of the stolen documents.
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- Therefore, listing the missing and or stolen items and making this list public, is an important step.
- Law Enforcement
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- In case of a theft, missing item or security incident the local police is the first to contact. The timeliness of the reaction is critical (the sooner, the better). For this reason, the reporting of theft to local or national authorities must include all necessary information on the event and the stolen objects which is useful for the recovery.