How to Report Heritage Crime

Wales has many archaeological sites including remains like burial chambers, remains of buildings, walls, earthworks, remains which date from the prehistoric period to the 20th century.
Some are buried, like ditches, or enclosures, fragile prehistoric remains, environmental evidence contained in peat for example, and not visible above ground.
Some of these are Scheduled Monuments because of their national importance, these form around 10% of the known archaeology in the Historic Environment Record.
People come from far and wide to visit these features, but unfortunately there are those that do not respect them.
Since the launch of Operation Heritage Cymru in 2022, Welsh Police forces have been working alongside Cadw, Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales, National Parks, National Trust, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, archaeological trusts and volunteers to raise awareness and prevention of Heritage Crime.

Some examples of Heritage Crime include:



Reporting heritage crime
Identified a Heritage Crime? What to do next.
Report the crime using one of the following options. Please quote “Op Heritage Cymru” when reporting
- Report via the relevant Police website.
- Report by dialling 101 for non-emergencies.
- Report by dialling 999 in an emergency situation. If you are aware of a crime currently taking place, please telephone the police immediately.
- To pass on information about criminal activity and remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or by visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org
When reporting a suspected heritage crime, remember to include as much of the following information:
- Name of the historic feature (if known). Useful information to help identify monuments can be found on the Cadw website for protected sites and the Archwilio website for undesignated sites.
- Details of the incident.
- Information about suspected perpetrators, including vehicle registrations (where applicable).
- Date and time of incident, including when you witnessed the issue/s.
- Location of the incident (address, post code, grid reference etc.).

If you think the property is a listed building, contact your Local Authority Conservation department to ensure it is aware of any damage that has been caused to the asset.
If you think the property is a scheduled monument, contact Cadw to ensure it is aware of any damage that has been caused to the asset.
Be prepared to provide a witness statement to the police as part of any formal police action as a result of the incident.
How to report heritage crime
