The director of Paris’s Louvre Museum, Laurence des Cars, has called last weekend’s $102 million crown jewel robbery a “terrible failure” of security and revealed that she offered her resignation, which France’s culture minister refused to accept.
Speaking before the French Senate on Wednesday, des Cars said museum staff “did not detect the arrival of the thieves soon enough,” admitting to “weaknesses” in surveillance and external security coverage.
“Today we are experiencing a terrible failure at the Louvre, which I take my share of responsibility in,” she told senators, adding that Culture Minister Rachida Dati turned down her resignation offer.
Des Cars said that while the Louvre’s alarms worked properly during the heist, some of its security cameras were “ageing,” and the one closest to the entry point was “directed westward,” failing to capture the thieves’ approach.
The director urged the installation of a permanent police post inside the museum and barriers to prevent vehicles from parking next to the building.
The Louvre reopened Wednesday to long lines of visitors, its first public day since the brazen daylight robbery that shocked the world.
Four masked men used a truck-mounted ladder to access a balcony window, disguising the operation with fake street bollards to appear as maintenance workers. They were inside for less than four minutes before escaping on motorbikes with eight Napoleonic-era jewels worth an estimated €88 million.
Among the stolen treasures were an emerald-and-diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon Bonaparte to Empress Marie-Louise and a diamond-studded diadem belonging to Empress Eugenie. The thieves dropped Eugenie’s crown during their escape, leaving it damaged but recoverable.
President Emmanuel Macron condemned the theft as “an attack on a heritage we cherish.” None of the stolen items were insured, meaning the Louvre will not be compensated if they are not recovered.
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