Louvre Museum director Laurence des Cars has admitted a "terrible failure" after thieves cut through a window and stole jewellery worth nearly €90 million. She said she takes responsibility for weaknesses in security that allowed the gang to strike on Sunday morning.
As police search for the culprits, Des Cars told a panel of senators on Wednesday that the museum lacks enough security cameras outside the building. She said other gaps were exposed by the theft.
“Today we are experiencing a terrible failure at the Louvre, which I take my share of responsibility in,” she said. “We did not detect the arrival of the thieves soon enough.” Des Cars said she had offered to resign but Culture Minister Rachida Dati did not accept it.
Just after the museum opened on Sunday four thieves used a basket lift to reach an upper level. They forced open a window and smashed display cases in the Galerie d’Apollon.
They fled on motor scooters with eight treasures including Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and sapphires once worn by Queen Marie-Amélie and Hortense de Beauharnais.
One piece was later recovered near the museum. It was Eugénie’s imperial crown, set with emeralds and more than 1,300 diamonds. Des Cars said it was damaged but can be restored.
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Security concerns
The theft has stunned France and drawn global attention, fuelling a debate over museum security and public accountability.
More than 100 officers from France’s elite anti-gang brigade and the central office for trafficking of cultural goods are working on the case. Police have not announced arrests.
Des Cars said the alarm systems worked as designed when the display cases were smashed. She said the problem was outside, where there is no full video surveillance of the Louvre’s facades. She said there is already a plan for 100 percent coverage.
She also said barriers should stop vehicles parking right next to the museum’s buildings. She wants a permanent police station inside the Louvre, which has 30,000 visitors a day and 2,300 workers.
The Louvre reopened on Wednesday for the first time since the raid.
"For a place like the Louvre, it’s unfathomable,” said Amanda Lee, an art teacher from Chicago, when asked about the theft. The 36-year-old added: “I heard it took under four minutes. How is that possible here, with no police in sight?”
Claire Martin, a 41-year-old lawyer, was at the museum with her two children from Versailles just outside Paris. “We saw the masterpieces even though the Galérie d’Apollon was shut,” she said.
“We told the kids it’s a history lesson. We came for the art. The police can deal with the thieves.”
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The theft happened only steps away from the Mona Lisa. It came five months after Louvre employees went on strike. They warned of chronic understaffing and not enough resources for protection with too few eyes on too many rooms.
On Tuesday Dati rejected claims of a failure inside the museum. She told MPs the alarms worked perfectly. She pointed instead to weak surveillance of the street outside, which let the gang operate their crane without detection.
A draft report by the Cour des Comptes, France’s national audit office, has criticised delays in bringing in upgraded protective equipment. Senators said they will continue to examine what went wrong and how the museum will improve its security.
