A report highlights the art theft market that is occurring in Canada.

From Canada.com:

It’s a crime that captures the public’s imagination. But the reality of art theft - in the spotlight this weekend with the heist of 12 Bill Reid works - is quite different from the pop culture image, says an international expert.

“The theft upon order for some mysterious Dr. No who wants to have these items in his possession, that’s pure fiction,” says Karl-Heinz Kind, team leader of Interpol’s works of art unit, referring to the fictional James Bond villain.

More often, stolen works of art end up as bargaining chips in the criminal underworld, he says, used as collateral in drug or weapon trades.

Out the the total word market in art theft, Canada remains a small part of the total market.

nterpol, an international police agency with 156 member countries, maintains a database of stolen art objects. Of 32,000 items currently on the list, Kind says 516 were snatched from Canadian collections.

Art thieves are experts in eluding security systems but not in art appreciation, Kind says, though they may watch for high-profile exhibitions or trawl the Internet in an effort to sniff out the most valuable targets. But the lack of sophistication means thieves often simply nab what is easiest to carry or looks most impressive and stolen pieces are often harshly treated, cut out of their frames or stashed haphazardly, he says.