The dangers of poor behaviour while on school trips in foreign countries have been thrown into sharp focus again as two British teenagers have been forced to 'apologise unreservedly' for 'picking up items without thinking' from the former Auschwitz death camp, now a UNESCO World heritage site and renowned museum visited by millions each year, including thousands of school trips from around the world.
The Perse School, Cambridge says the 17-year-old boys 'attempted to keep some items which they had found on the ground' despite the fact notices are displayed across the museum warning visitors not to pick anything up. The pair were detained at the site on Monday and were charged with unlawfully possessing items of special cultural importance, which carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence in Poland, but were released with suspended prison sentences on Tuesday.
A body search had revealed that the two boys had taken artefacts including part of a razor, a piece of a spoon, buttons and two pieces of glass and faced up to ten years in jail for carrying out activities related to the misappropriation of objects that represent special cultural interest, to the detriment of the museum.
But they were released on Tuesday 23rd June 2015 with suspended sentences plus fines of 1,000 zloty each – about £170 – after admitting taking the items. They had been held in cells at Malopolska police station and interrogated through an interpreter.
A spokesman for the Perse School said they had also been given a year's probation, suspended for three years.
Perse School Headmaster Ed Elliott said: 'There will be a full and thorough investigation into what occurred. I want to hear directly from the boys as to what led them to take these items. I want to ensure that all necessary lessons are learnt. The opportunity to be able to visit Holocaust sites carries with it the duty to treat those sites with the utmost respect and sensitivity.'
The incident brings into sharp focus the need for vigilance at all times from staff in charge of groups visiting any kind of museum, even for those students who would otherwise be considered responsible. Equally, preparation for trips should include a reiteration of your policies about behaviour, including drugs and alcohol.
It may not go amiss to mention the differing punishments which may be available for misdemeanours in the countries you are visiting, and any known differences in what is considered a crime. Many of these aspects of visiting foreign countries can be found in the Handsam SchoolTripsAdvisor gazette pages for our Countries of the World.
