The Art Newspaper

V&A gets its own personal detective

By The Art Newspaper. From In The Frame
Published online: 08 June 2010

Detective Sergeant Vernon Rapley joins the V&A

Art thieves watch out, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is about to get a whole lot more secure. In a surprise move, Detective Sergeant Vernon Rapley, who has headed Scotland Yard’s art and antiques unit for nine years, will be moving to the V&A. He joins the museum on 21 June, to take charge of security and visitor services. Before turning to art, Rapley investigated murder, paedophilia and child abuse at the Metropolitan Police. He really got to know the V&A in 2004, when there was a spate of thefts at major London museums. The V&A was hit three times, and 38 rooms had to be shut, many for years, while security was upgraded. Supported by the V&A, the Yard set up the London Museum Security Group. Rapley even took a turn as guest curator earlier this year, when he organised a Scotland Yard-curated display at the museum on fakes and forgeries, which spotlighted the case of the Greenhalgh family from Bolton, who created objects ranging from Egyptian antiquities to modern paintings. Sue Ridley, who has held the V&A’s security and visitor services post, is moving to become director of collection services. Rapley’s successor at Scotland Yard has not yet been appointed.