The NCMD, the metal detecting policeman and Nighthawking

"Today @EssexPoliceUK take a lead in tackling unlawful metal detecting with the launch of #opchronos #heritagecrime" tweets Pc Andy Long, adding "to coincide with the launch of #opchronos to tackle #nighthawking I will be discussing #heritagecrime this week on twitter". He then starts off (20 lip)

The National Council for Metal Detecting is an excellent body representing the thousands of detectorists in the UK http://www.ncmd.co.uk/index.htm

and (20 lip)

The National Council for Metal Detecting currently has 11,000 members. These 11,000 can help us stop the criminals #nighthawking

The problem is there is no way the NCMD will actually do that. I replied

Paul Barford ‏@PortantIssues 20 godz.20 godzin temu

@PcAndyLong @HEHeritageCrime Can, but "will" they? They withdrew cooperation from 2009 Oxford Archaeology Nighthawking survey and report.

and with regard to this present discussion, six years on, it is worth looking at their published statement why they did this. PC Long however is not bothered about that:

 Andy Long ‏@PcAndyLong 20 godz.20 godzin temu

@PortantIssues @HEHeritageCrime Paul, thats why we try to engage with the public rather than dismiss them as some people choose to

You know, I rather thought that this blog too is engaging with the public. the public who are also stakeholders in the heritage metal detectorists take. As for dismissing that which has already been shown not to have a hope of being effective and find new ones, that seems a sensible approach. Essex police it seems do not believe so:

Paul Barford ‏@PortantIssues 20 godz.20 godzin temu @PcAndyLong @HEHeritageCrime If you look back at past 20 yrs, you'll see a consistent history of NCMD utterly failing to engage, only obstruct.

Which is exactly what you will see in any NCMD statement about its approach to any initiative at all. Or they pretend to go along with one and then fail to deliver - as was the case with the Code of Practice. Quite a lot of these episodes have been documented on the pages of this blog.I think to achieve any aims we need to avoid relying on that 'Good Collector' myth:

  Paul Barford ‏@PortantIssues 20 godz.20 godzin temu

@PcAndyLong @HEHeritageCrime Why not look at the FACTS of the case and come up with something other than mythmaking?

PC Long acts as though there never was a Nighthawking Report which had recommendations at the back:

Andy Long ‏@PcAndyLong
@PortantIssues @HEHeritageCrime Paul, any constructive suggestions on how we can achieve our aims? Or do we just look to the past and give up?

Nobody was suggesting "giving up". My reply refers to one of the recommendations of the Nighthawking Report, and one which would achieve the aims of cutting down on illicit antiquities in the UK; 

Paul Barford ‏@PortantIssues 20 godz.20 godzin temu@PcAndyLong @HEHeritageCrime Regulate artefact hunting, make collectors accountable. That's a totally CONSTRUCTIVE and obvious suggestion.

Not one that a metal-detecting policeman is likely to contemplate even suggesting, it seems. 

Meanwhile in the discussion, the term "nighthawkers" is appearing again.