Louvre Heist Exposes Security Flaws, Director Admits

Sat Oct 25 2025 13:41:50 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a stunning admission, the Louvre's director revealed that an aging CCTV system failed to capture the break-in that resulted in the theft of €88m worth of jewels.

The director of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, publicly acknowledged significant weaknesses in the museum's security systems following a major jewel theft. She stated that outdated and insufficient CCTV technology contributed to the theft of €88 million worth of crown jewels, as the only camera monitoring the area was pointed away from the crime scene. Des Cars emphasized the need for improved security measures while admitting to the museum's failure in protecting its treasures. The stolen items included jewelry once belonging to French royalty, and an investigation is ongoing.

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.

Some of the senators she faced at Wednesday's hearing expressed incredulity at the Louvre's security, asking why there was just one camera - on the external wall facing the river - and why it was pointing the wrong way.

That single failure meant that the lorry carrying the gang and their mechanical ladder, used to reach the gallery's first floor, was not spotted at all as it arrived at the foot of the Gallery of Apollo.

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

The museum re-opened on Wednesday, although the gallery remained shut.

The Louvre is home to priceless works of art including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

A hunt is still underway for the gang of four who, over the space of less than 10 minutes last Sunday morning, broke into the museum, stealing eight prized pieces of jewellery including a diamond and emerald necklace given to Emperor Napoleon's wife.

As they fled, they dropped a 19th-Century diamond-studded crown belonging to Empress Eugenie. Although it was recovered, the crown was damaged, and des Cars told the senators that it had probably been crushed as the thieves prised it from its display case.

The director hopes that work to improve security will begin at the start of 2026. However, it is expected to be challenging given the aging infrastructure of what was once a royal palace.

Des Cars said she had tendered her resignation to the culture ministry after the heist but had been refused. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told France's Europe1 radio he had every confidence the thieves would be caught.