After the audacious theft of the crown jewels in broad daylight, the Louvre museum has come under fire for its lack of security, the BBC reports.
A report by the Court of Auditors, compiled before the theft, shows that the museum’s directors have long prioritized investing in new works of art, while neglecting the museum’s maintenance and security. The president of the court, Pierre Moscovici, said the theft of the crown jewels was a wake-up call.
The robbers entered the museum through a balcony on the morning of October 19, when visitors had already begun to arrive. An angle grinder was used to open the stands, and the criminals managed to escape with 88 million euros worth of jewels.
The report found that between 2018 and 2024, the Louvre Museum prioritized activities that were visible and attractive to the public at the expense of maintenance and technical equipment, especially in the areas of security and protection. During this time, the museum spent more than 105 million euros on the purchase of works of art and 63.5 million euros on exhibition halls. At the same time, 26.7 million euros were allocated for maintenance work and 59.5 million euros for renovation of the building.
The findings are in line with other critics, including the culture minister, who said that
the museum’s leaders had grossly underestimated the potential for an invasion of the museum.
Didier Rykner, one of France’s leading art experts, said that the museum had preferred to spend its rich funds on attention-grabbing initiatives rather than focusing on protecting existing values.
One such project is the Louvre’s “New Renaissance,” which was inaugurated this year by French President Emmanuel Macron and the museum’s current director, Laurence des Cars. It includes a new entrance to the Louvre’s east wing and the preparation of new exhibition spaces. The court concluded that the project was carried out without sufficient research into its technical or architectural feasibility, or without sufficient financial evaluation. The project’s costs have already reached 1.5 billion euros.
The museum admitted most of what was stated in the report, but added that the court did not fully understand everything that was done, especially in the area of security.
Four people have been arrested for the robbery – three criminals and one of the thief’s girlfriends, but the fourth robber is still at large. Although there were initial speculations that the robbery was the work of organized crime, the Paris prosecutor’s office has now admitted that the crime was committed by “petty thieves,” with one of them telling investigators that he thought the museum would be closed on Sunday. Another said he had no idea he was breaking into the Louvre.
All the perpetrators of the robbery were well-known in the northern Paris neighborhoods, including for their criminal activities.
Read also: Paris prosecutors: Louvre robbery not the work of organized crime