"If arming guards is too hotly contested a solution, then what can be done to thwart violent art thefts?"

Art Theft Central's Mark Durney considers the question: "One solution may lie in police response time .... In every art theft case mentioned in this post, the armed thieves easily escaped the scene of the crime. If the police had been able to respond quicker, then the thieves' getaways may have been spoiled. Would it be feasible for museum security directors to coordinate with local police to have a greater officer presence in the neighborhood during the hours when the institution is most vulnerable to theft (opening/lunch/closing times)? Hopefully, this would shorten response time and also be a deterrent to potential thieves."