The famous London museum decided to digitise its collection following reports that the thefts of 2,000 artefacts had gone unnoticed over the past 20 years. 

“Essentially we were the victims of an inside job by someone we believe, who over a long period of time was stealing from the museum and who the museum had put trust in,” said George Osborne, the museum’s chair. “There are lots of lessons to be learned.”

Of the 2,000 stolen items, about 350 have been recovered so far. Last month, the museum launched a public appeal for assistance in locating the remaining artefacts, believed to be pieces of jewellery dating back to the ancient Greek and Roman periods, as well as small objects such as gems, often set in rings.

The museum believes the thefts were made possible by a lack of accessible data on the items, which made it possible for an insider to gradually steal them from the storeroom for decades without being detected.

To prevent similar security breaches...