Weak Security at Louvre Leads to €88 Million Jewellery Heist

Sat Oct 25 2025 02:39:52 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Louvre director Laurence des Cars reveals shocking details about the museum's security failures that allowed thieves to escape with priceless crown jewels.

In a recent statement, Louvre director Laurence des Cars admitted to severe flaws in the museum's security system, revealing that the CCTV coverage at the site was outdated and ineffective. This revelation follows the theft of €88 million worth of jewels by a gang of thieves, with a significant lack of surveillance allowing their escape. Des Cars expressed concern over the museum's aging infrastructure and promised improvements, but acknowledged the ongoing challenges posed by its historical framework.

The Louvre failed to spot a gang of thieves early enough to stop the theft of €88m (£76m) worth of French crown jewels, the museum's director has revealed.

Laurence des Cars, speaking publicly for the first time since the heist on Sunday, told French senators that CCTV around the Louvre's perimeter was weak and aging.

The only camera monitoring the exterior wall of the Louvre where they broke in was pointing away from the first-floor balcony that led to Gallery of Apollo housing the jewels, she said.

We failed these jewels, she said, adding that no-one was protected from brutal criminals - not even the Louvre.

Ministers have given press conferences and interviews and denied security failings, but des Cars cut through that and admitted the Louvre had been defeated.

Her words gave an extraordinary insight into the difficulty of securing the world's most visited museum, and how bad its security really was.

The CCTV system outside the Louvre was very unsatisfactory she said and inside, some areas were simply too old to adapt to modern technologies.

Despite the museum's huge volume of visitors - 8.7 million last year alone - investment in security has been slow and she highlighted the budget challenges big institutions face.

Des Cars, who became director of the Louvre in 2021, said she wanted to double the number of CCTV cameras.

She expressed disbelief that there was just one camera on the external wall facing the river, pointing the wrong way, which missed the arrival of the thieves.

There is a weakness at the Louvre and I acknowledge it completely, des Cars testified to the senators.

Despite this, she praised security guards for their swift actions during the heist, which allowed for a relatively quick evacuation of the museum.

The museum re-opened on Wednesday, although the gallery remained shut, as the hunt for the four thieves continues.

As they fled, they dropped a 19th-Century diamond-studded crown belonging to Empress Eugenie, which was recovered but damaged, indicating the hastiness of their escape.

Des Cars stated that plans are in place to upgrade security by 2026, recognizing the infrastructure challenges presented by its historical status.

She clarified that she had submitted her resignation post-heist, which was refused, insisting that she had long raised alarms regarding the museum's security systems.