Laurence des Cars acknowledged before the French Senate that the museum’s external chambers were obsolete. “This episode is a huge wound for the institution,” he lamented.
Three days after the spectacular robbery that shook the Louvre Museumits president Laurence des Cars confronted the French Senate and recognized deficiencies in the security of the most visited building in the world. “The exterior video surveillance system is insufficient and needs urgent renovation,” he assured legislators.
The assault, carried out in just eight minutes, exposed the vulnerability of the museum that receives more than nine million visitors a year. Eight historical pieces, valued at more than US$100 millionwere stolen from the Apollo Gallerywhere the French Crown jewels are displayed.
Des Cars explained that, although the internal alarms were activated during the incident, the exterior cameras were obsolete and they did not cover all the fronts of the building. In the affected sector, he explained, there was only one camera facing in the opposite direction to the robbery area.
The official, the first woman to direct the Louvre since 2021, offered his resignation to the Governmentbut the Minister of Culture, Rachida Datirejected it. “This episode is a huge wound for the institution,” lamented Des Cars, who also asked to install a police station inside the museum and reinforce security in the surrounding area.
The museum reopened with long lines
The Louvre Museum reopened its doors this morning, while France recovers from a million-dollar crime at its facilities. The event, which caused national commotion, occurred on Sunday and led the authorities to take parallel measures for the sector where the theft occurred.
The doors of the museum opened at 9, as usual, at a time when hundreds of people were already queuing at the entrance to the pyramid.
The Louvre had pointed out on Tuesday that that opening would not be completesince the Apollo Gallery where the robbery took place will remain closed “for a certain time”, according to DW.
The investigation, led by more than a hundred agents, points to a group of four people who entered through a window on Sunday after lifting themselves with a forklift. The cameras recorded that the vehicle had been rented under the pretext of a “move.” Among the stolen pieces are a Empress Eugenia’s pearl diadem and a set of Queen Maria Amelia sapphire necklace and earrings. One of the crowns was abandoned during the escape.
The Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñezconfirmed that the investigation “is advancing” and described the case as “a challenge to the image of France.” His peer of Justice, Gerald Darmaninwas more blunt: “We have failed. The fact that a forklift could be installed without being detected is unacceptable.”
Source: Ambito
