Police are continuing to appeal for information about the theft of three wooden plaques from Orkney’s beloved Italian Chapel are continuing.
Three weeks on, there is a still a sense of outrage at the theft – among tourists and residents alike.
A plea for recent visitors to send in their photographs of the chapel elicited hundreds of images from around the world, which officers have ploughed through in order to narrow down the time of the crime.
They now believe that the three panels were taken between 6.30pm on August 6 and 11am on August 7.
But they would like to hear from anyone else who was in the area at the time and may have seen something suspicious.
Pictures of the panels have also been circulated to other police forces and on art dealers website so that those responsible for the theft cannot sell them.
The three plaques are part of a set of 14 which depict the journey of Christ to the cross.
Measuring about 6in x 8in, they are individually numbered with Roman numerals – the missing plaques being IV, VI and X.
Currently a fourth panel is also absent from the chapel as it has been sent to Italy in the hope that the sculptors who made the originals can create replacements.
Constable Willie Dingwall, who is in charge of the investigation, said that the culprit would find it difficult to sell the panels on.
“It is a completely pointless theft,” he said.
He appealed for more information from the public and added: “I know what it means to people here and I would like to return them to the chapel.”
And area commander Chief Inspector Les Donaldson said he was shocked when the theft was first reported, adding that officers were keeping an open mind about the theft.
He said: “Our work is also about ensuring that whoever took the panels does not have an opportunity to dispose of them.
“They have no intrinsic value, particularly because of the outrage that the theft has caused on Orkney.”