White collar crime in museums

Abstract

White Collar Crime (WCC) can be defined as crimes committed by employees against their employers. Little empirical research has been conducted into WCC in the museum sector. The majority of a museums collection is held in back-of-house storage facilities with only a relatively small number of objects actually on public display. The true extent of WCC is unknown and it is a difficult area because of its complexity and invisibility. The article gives an overview of white-collar crime, outlines the characteristics and techniques of this type of crime and seeks to identify the problems of controlling white-collar crime with particular reference to the UK museum sector.