The robbery at the Louvre may go down as one of the most audacious thefts in modern history, both due to the thieves’ apparent planning and security failures at the museum
An incredible minutes-long heist during which bold thieves pilfered “priceless” valuables from the Louvre museum was only allowed to happen due to a series of major security failings.
French officials confirmed on Sunday that robbers pilfered items of “immeasurable heritage value” from the world famous art gallery in Paris in a lightning fast heist that saw them gain entry and leave with their stolen belongings in just seven minutes. The robbers – who have not yet been found – were able to lift items that had once belonged to French royalty and colonial leaders after strolling in and smashing the glass containers that housed them.
The incident has caused a national outrage, with questions arising as to how the thieves were able to gain access to one of the best-protected museums in the world.
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So how were the thieves able to make off with highly treasured national artefacts? Here are some of the security failings identified so far:
At the Louvre facade
The Louvre is currently undergoing construction as part of the government’s Nouvelle Renaissance (new Renaissance) project, which will eventually see a new entrance installed on site. Until this is completed, the River Seine-facing portion of the museum’s facade is a messy construction site that the thieves were reportedly able to use to their advantage.
According to French daily newspaper Le Parisien, four masked and hooded thieves entered the Museum via the construction site at around 9.30am, and, unseen and unchallenged, were able to use an unattended cherry picker to access the first floor window of the Apollo Gallery jewel room, where the priceless valuables were being kept.
At the first-floor window
Once the thieves had dropped themselves at the Apollo Gallery window, two of the four reportedly produced a battery-powered disc cutter – a tool that features heavily in heist films like Mission Impossible – and used it to cut through the glass panes. According to the Confederation of Fire Protection Associations Europe (CFPA-Europe), there were several security failings at this point alone.
The organisation states that museums should ensure they have “tested and approved burglar-resistant windows” and, where not possible, should be secured with other features like iron bars. Where these are not possible, the organisation recommends that alarms capable of alerting police are installed.
While there was a localised alarm, French Senator Natalie Goulet said, it had been recently broken. She said it was not clear whether or not it had been deactivated. A wider alarm did sound, although this meant there was no indication of exactly where there had been a breach.
Inside the Apollo Gallery
The first major obstacle encountered by the prowling thieves were museum guards, who they met after “calmly” gaining access to the Apollo Gallery. But they also proved ineffective, as the robbers were threatened and subsequently evacuated the premises. While they were threatened, the guards were not harmed, according to officials, who said there was “no violence” during the heist.
Once they had left, the thieves went about smashing cases housing the valuable jewels. Another critical failure noted at this stage was that, despite being just 300 yards from the Mona Lisa, which is kept under strict lock and key and will soon be moved to a new room, there was reportedly no CCTV in one of three rooms in this part of the museum.
The thieves had managed to take advantage of a critical blind spot and were not captured on camera as they left the area.
Leaving with the jewels
After carrying out the smash and swipe stage of the heist, the gang of thieves exited the Louvre before subsequently trying to set fire to their vehicle. They were unsuccessful, however, as they were prevented after a museum staffer intervened, France’s culture ministry has said.
But the lone staffer was unable to prevent them from leaving the area, and Culture Minister Rachida Dati TF1 the “experienced” thieves fled on two scooters. They have not yet been found, with dozens of investigators now combing through the Louvre to identify the mysterious group.
Past failures
Sunday’s failure to prevent a serious robbery was not the first of its kind, as the Louvre has seen several high-profile thefts in the past, with one as recent as this year. One of the most famous took place in 1998, when robbers made off with the beloved Le Chemin de Sevre by Camille Corot.
The 19th century work of art was simply plucked from the wall by someone who removed pegs from its frame. Now nearly 30 years later, the painting remains missing and the culprit in the wind. Despite that incident having precipitated a huge overhaul in museum security, it clearly wasn’t enough to prevent yet another high-profile theft.