Between 1am and 2am on September 25, four men broke into a warehouse at Bristol Museum where the British Empire and Commonwealth collection is kept. Police called it a "high-value burglary of museum artefacts." More than 600 items were stolen. The stolen pieces include an East India Company officer's waist belt plate inscribed with the motto "Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae," a carved ivory elephant ornament, an ivory Buddha on a stone base carved with seven snake heads, and an 1838 US emancipation token promoting the abolition of slavery. Other stolen items include military artifacts, jewellery, silverware, bronze figurines, and geological specimens. Detective Constable Dan Burgan said, "The stolen items form part of a collection that provides insight into a part of British history." The collection held paintings, like the 1903 Delhi Durbar celebrating Edward VII as Emperor of India; over 250 letters from British soldier Joseph Stephens posted on the North West Frontier; and photos by Mumbai-born Victor Veevers, a 1930s Indian Railways poster artist. Police released CCTV footage of the four men on September 28 and are asking the public to help identify them to aid in the enquiry.