A controversy over a security failure is intensifying after the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, was robbed of eight treasures by a four-person gang right after opening. In France, various measures are being discussed to strengthen the Louvre's security, but there are opinions that such steps alone will not be enough to prevent a recurrence.
The Thieves broke in through a first-floor window at 9:30 a.m. on the 19th local time using a lift installed on a truck, then cut display cases with a grinder and stole eight pieces of jewelry worn by 19th-century queens. The stolen items included an emerald diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave to Empress Marie-Louise, his wife.
The Financial Times (FT) said on the 23rd that an unprecedented daylight theft had pushed the Louvre into crisis and exposed the vulnerabilities and security gaps of the world's largest museum. It added that those involved now face the enormous task of proving they can protect the remaining exhibits from future intrusions.
Louvre Director Laurence des Cars and France Culture Minister Rachida Dati argued immediately after the incident that security procedures had worked properly. They said alarms sounded when the window was smashed and the display cases were broken, and staff immediately called police and evacuated thousands of visitors within minutes. However, with the whereabouts of the stolen artifacts still unclear, improving the security system appears inevitable.
The most urgent tasks cited are adding surveillance staff and reinforcing closed-circuit (CC)TV. According to the SUD Culture union's Louvre chapter, the museum's surveillance and guide staff has decreased by 14% over the past 10 years. A Louvre employee told Le Monde that six people should normally be on duty in the Apollo Gallery where The Thieves broke in, but there are currently only five, and during the first 30 minutes of the morning break only four remain.
Alexis Frichet of the Confédération française démocratique du travail (CFDT) culture chapter said more surveillance staff should be stationed around sensitive works and easily movable high-value pieces should be relocated to safer places, adding that if the Apollo Gallery had housed the Egyptian collection, it would have been much harder for The Thieves to extract artifacts through the window.
According to the Louvre's internal audit report, CCTV coverage is capped in the 60% range. At a hearing on the 22nd, Director des Cars said there was no CCTV at the site of the crime and called it devastating that the world's largest museum has outdated or nonexistent technological infrastructure to protect precious artifacts.
However, there is criticism that simply increasing personnel and equipment is not enough, because the main role of surveillance staff is focused on managing visitors and preventing damage to artworks. Security expert Éric Delbecque, who served as security chief at Charlie Hebdo after the terrorist attack on the satirical magazine, said surveillance cameras cannot catch a thief wielding a power saw.
There is also strong opposition to Director des Cars' proposal to install a police station inside the museum. Former Culture Minister Aurélie Filippetti criticized the idea, saying this area already has the most police in Paris and that building a police station at a hospital or school just because an incident occurs there is a ridiculous notion.
Experts agree that a fundamental shift in thinking about museum security and large-scale restoration work is ultimately needed. Former Minister Filippetti stressed that President Emmanuel Macron's "Renaissance Project," which centers on creating a Monalisa gallery and expanding the east entrance, should be put on hold, and priority should be given to basic repairs of buildings that have been neglected since the last major restoration 40 years ago and to strengthening security.