In a stunning revelation that underscores a critical security lapse at the world’s most-visited museum, the director of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, has publicly acknowledged that the wall used by jewel thieves in Sunday’s audacious daylight break-in was dangerously unmonitored by surveillance cameras.
Appearing before a scrutinizing French Senate culture committee on Wednesday, Des Cars admitted to a “terrible failure,” conceding that the security camera coverage of the vast building’s exterior was “highly insufficient.” Her candid testimony came just days after a four-man gang, operating with shocking brazenness, used a truck-mounted extendable ladder to access a first-floor balcony and steal an estimated €88 million worth of priceless French crown jewels.
The Critical Blind Spot
The details of the breach are as simple as they are alarming. The professional thieves targeted a balcony giving access to the ornate Apollo Gallery, which houses the historic collection of crown jewels.
“The only camera installed is directed westward and therefore did not cover the balcony involved in the break-in,” Des Cars stated, detailing the fatal flaw in the museum’s perimeter defence. She further conceded that the few existing perimeter cameras were “ageing.” This critical blind spot allowed the perpetrators to position their equipment—a truck with a furniture hoist—virtually undetected on a busy main road near the Seine River.
The thieves, who reportedly spent two hours setting up, posed as maintenance workers before cutting through a window and smashing their way into high-end display cases. The entire, rapid-fire theft inside the gallery lasted less than seven minutes.
Scrutiny on Security and Staffing
Senators’ questions focused not only on the camera failure but also on how a large truck could be parked illegally against the museum wall for an extended period without drawing official attention. The heist, which saw the thieves make off with eight invaluable pieces, including a diamond-studded diadem and an emerald necklace gifted by Napoleon I, has sent a wave of shock across the international community.
While Des Cars stated that all internal alarms had functioned and security protocol was followed once the window was breached, the failure to stop the intruders at the perimeter level proved catastrophic. She disclosed that she had tendered her resignation to the Culture Ministry following the incident, but it was refused.
“Despite our efforts, despite our hard work on a daily basis, we failed,” she told the committee, adding that surveillance of the museum’s outside walls was “highly insufficient.”
The incident has reignited a fierce debate over understaffing and outdated security infrastructure at French cultural institutions. Union representatives have long warned of cuts to security staff and decaying equipment at the Louvre, the historic former royal palace that welcomes millions of visitors each year.
The Louvre director, however, defended an existing €80 million security plan while admitting the urgency of its implementation. French President Emmanuel Macron has since ordered a “speeding up” of security measures at the museum.
The priceless historical treasures, many of which belong to Napoleon I and Napoleon III’s imperial collections, are now the subject of a massive police investigation involving over 100 investigators. One item, an imperial crown, was recovered broken nearby, having been dropped during the thieves’ escape. Its fragile condition, resulting from its forceful extraction from the display case, suggests that the historical treasures’ fate now rests on delicate and uncertain restoration efforts.