Louvre heist a 'deafening wake-up call' for museum security: auditor

"Last month's Louvre heist, in which robbers made off with some of France's crown jewels, was a "deafening wake-up call" for museum security, the head of France's highest audit institution said Thursday. Upgrades to security at the world-renowned museum have been moving at a "woefully inadequate pace", Pierre Moscovici told a press conference to present the audit court's report on the Paris museum."

"Instead, the museum has prioritised "high-profile and attractive operations" at the expense of security, the Court of Auditors said in its sharply critical report. A four-member gang raided the Louvre, the world's most-visited art museum, in broad daylight on October 19, taking just seven minutes to steal jewellery worth an estimated €88 million before fleeing on scooters."

"It concluded that management made investment decisions "at the expense of the maintenance and renovation of buildings and technical facilities, particularly those related to safety and security". It also highlighted "a persistent delay in the deployment of security equipment for the protection of the artworks" which the museum "failed" to address during the period under review. The Louvre's management said on Thursday it accepted "most" of the audit body's recommendations, while maintaining that the report failed to recognise some of its actions on security."

A four-member gang raided the Louvre in broad daylight on October 19, taking seven minutes to steal jewellery estimated at €88 million. The thieves used a truck with an extendable ladder to access the Apollo Gallery, broke a window and used angle grinders to cut display-case glass. Authorities have not recovered the jewels; four people, three suspected of direct involvement, have been charged and detained. France's Court of Auditors found that museum management between 2018 and 2024 prioritised high-profile operations over building maintenance and security, and delayed deployment of security equipment for artwork protection.

Read at The Local France