PARIS — In an unusual public acknowledgment, Laurence des Cars, the director of the Louvre Museum, has admitted to significant security lapses that permitted a group of thieves to make off with €88 million in French crown jewels in less than 10 minutes — all without being captured on surveillance footage.
While addressing French senators, the BBC reports, Des Cars disclosed that the sole CCTV camera monitoring the Louvre’s outer wall — the point where the thieves scaled to gain entry to the Gallery of Apollo — was oriented incorrectly, resulting in the break-in going entirely unobserved. The gang arrived in a truck equipped with a mechanical ladder and escaped with eight invaluable jewels, including a diamond and emerald necklace that was once a gift from Napoleon.
“We failed these jewels,” Des Cars said. “There is a weakness at the Louvre, and I acknowledge it completely.”
She acknowledged that the museum’s perimeter surveillance is outdated, with infrastructure too antiquated to accommodate modern security systems. Inside the museum, certain areas are also inadequately equipped for contemporary CCTV technology. Even though it is the most visited museum in the world, attracting 8.7 million visitors last year, investment in security has been sluggish due to budget limitations.
Among the treasures that were stolen was a 19th-century diamond crown that belonged to Empress Eugénie, which was subsequently discovered to be damaged — likely crushed during the theft. Preliminary evaluations indicate that it might be possible to restore it.
The museum reopened on Wednesday, but the Gallery of Apollo is still closed as investigations are ongoing. The director of the Louvre mentioned that she had tendered her resignation to the culture ministry, which was declined. She also defended herself against media scrutiny, asserting that she had consistently alerted officials about the “outdated” condition of the security equipment.
“We’ve had a terrible failure at the Louvre,” she said. “I’ve taken responsibility for it.”
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez expressed his confidence that the four-member gang will be caught. Prosecutors suspect that the thieves were operating under the direction of an organized crime syndicate.
Plans to enhance the Louvre’s surveillance system are set for early 2026, yet obstacles persist due to the outdated infrastructure of the historic former palace.
