Because this kind of cultural heritage is increasingly valued by art experts, historians and antique dealers, it is getting more and more tempting for art and antiques burglary and trafficking – and the number of thefts has been rising accordingly.

These factors put the Portuguese historic and artistic tile heritage at greater risk every day.

Because Polícia Judiciária (PJ) has the exclusive competence for crimes related to works of art and cultural goods and the number of thefts of historic tiles has risen significantly since the nineties, the PJ decided to implement a CRIME PREVENTION PROJECT against theft, traffic and vandalism of Portuguese historic and artistic tiles and launch a campaign for the protection and conservation of this cultural heritage. Name of the Project: “SOS AZULEJO”

In order to implement this project, the PJ sought the Partnership of several prestigious Portuguese organisations which embraced all thematic vectors of this problem, namely other police forces working on the field, institutions from the Ministries of Culture and Education and a Municipalities Association. This Partnership made a global approach to this problem possible.

PARTNERS:
- Escola de Polícia Judiciária
- Instituto Politécnico de Tomar (IPT)
- Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico (IGESPAR)
- Associação Nacional de Municípios Portugueses (ANMP)
- Guarda Nacional Republicana (GNR)
- Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP)
- Rede Temática de Estudos de Azulejaria e Cerâmica João Miguel dos Santos Simões (RTEACJMSS)

• CONSTRUCTING/UPDATING A WEBSITE – www.sosazulejo.com – Containing useful, valuable and not elsewhere available information concerning a global approach to the protection of Portuguese Historic and Artistic Tiles for public access. The available information includes:

• Images of stolen tile panels. Easy access to these images aims at:
a) Making the circulation of stolen historic tiles in the market more difficult;
b) Making the identification and recovery of stolen historic tiles easier.

• Practical advice concerning:
a) theft and vandalism – crime prevention;
b) conservation care - preventive conservation;

• Useful information on good practices and how to accede municipalities’ “Tiles’ banks” for public free use;

• Information and news about all sorts of (educational) events and activities concerning the protection of Historic and Artistic Tiles;

• Dissemination tools concerning the protection of historic and artistic tiles.

• TV SPOT disseminating pieces of advice concerning the protection of Historic and Artistic Tiles;

• PUBLISHING A HISTORIC AND ARTISTIC TILES CONSERVATION HANDBOOK for conservation and restoration experts;

• PUBLISHING A BOOKLET containing practical advice concerning:
a) theft and vandalism – crime prevention;
b) conservation care – preventive conservation;

• ORGANISING AND DISSEMINATING SEMINARS, WORKSHOPS, EXHIBITIONS AND ALL SORTS OF EDUCATIONAL/PLAYFUL EVENTS AND ACTIONS concerning the protection of historic and artistic tiles.