In the late 1960s and early ’70s, thefts from museums and archaeological sites were on the rise. In an effort to protect cultural property, nations convened and drafted the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. A year prior, in anticipation of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, the Italian government founded the world’s first law enforcement team devoted to protecting art and heritage.

In 1969, Italy formed the Comando Carabinieri Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (TPC), better known as the Carabinieri Art Squad. The TPC is an arm of the Carabinieri (the national gendarmerie of Italy carrying out domestic policing duties) and is part of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism. It plays an essential role in safeguarding and protecting national heritage, through the prevention and repression of multiple and interrelated criminal activities.