Detecting Under the Microscope: Archaeological Finds Reporting Compulsory for NCMD Members

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Heritage Action is today announcing (NEWS: NCMD to make reporting all finds to PAS compulsory!) that in Britain the National Council for Metal Detecting has announced it is to drop its Code of Conduct in favour of the official one, the Code of practice for responsible metal detecting. This makes it compulsory for all members to report all their finds to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. This is indeed great news. Since the vast majority of British detectorists are NCMD members or in clubs affiliated to it, this represents a truly massive step forward and will mean an instant huge reduction in the amount of heritage knowledge being lost. The public statement made by the NCMD Chairman about this decision says it all:

“This Code is both fair and practical. By adhering to this Code the vast majority of metal-detectorists will be able to demonstrate that they have a genuine interest in the past and wish to benefit from the knowledge they gain from their hobby. The National Council for Metal Detecting is replacing its existing Code, a part of its Constitution, with the new one.  Adherence to the Code when metal detecting is a condition of membership”

The NCMD is to be congratulated on taking this important step. By making reporting of all material found compulsory on members (with sanctions on those who are found not to be complying  - withdrawing membership means withdrawing their third party insurance cover) unreservedly, this draws the line in metal detecting between 'white' and 'black' more firmly than it has ever been before, and eliminates the 'grey'. It also has the significant effect that the PAS now can concentrate less on cajoling objects out of artefact hunters an more on robust outreach concentrating more on questions of best practice, detecting on known archaeological sites, permanent pasture and earthwork sites, selectivity of data collection, the ethics of artefact collecting in general, no longer threatened by detectorists that if they do not take a more liberal line, they will withdraw support. Now what about the FID and other groupings, when will they follow suit?

UPDATE  Monday, 20 August 2012:
For an explanation: UK Detecting Code of Practice Who Was Deceiving Whom?