The Louvre director admits to negligence in protecting the museum’s collection
The director of Louvre Museum in De Carr’s statements came during an interrogation session before the French Senate on Wednesday, which sought to know how only 4 thieves were able to carry out the operation. The theft took place within 7 minutes inside an edifice containing millions of artifacts and the latest security systems. De Car said in her first public appearance since the incident: "This theft harms our organization in its most important mission and despite our diligent efforts every day, we have failed." The director explained that the surveillance cameras did not adequately cover the entry point used by the thieves, adding that the only camera installed was facing west, which made the balcony where the theft occurred out of view. She confirmed that the alarms were working during the incident, but they were not activated with the speed required to prevent the crime, noting that the security plan adopted in The museum, which amounts to 80 million euros, is still in the implementation phase. In light of this incident, French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the acceleration of the implementation of the security plan at the The Louvre, which resumed opening its doors to visitors on Wednesday, while the Apollo Hall, which witnessed the theft, remained closed. De Carre confirmed that she submitted her resignation immediately after the incident, but the Ministry of Culture rejected it, while calling for the creation of a permanent police station inside the museum to ensure a rapid response to any emergency in the future. French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed that the investigation is progressing. Quickly, with the participation of more than 100 specialized investigators, he said: "I have confidence that we will find the perpetrators soon" While Public Prosecutor Laure Picot described the loss as… "Exceptional"She pointed out that the greatest damage is not financial, but rather cultural and heritage. The incident revived the debate about the weakness of security measures in French museums, and the representative of the trade union, Christian Galani, explained that the Louvre suffers from a shortage of guards after their numbers were reduced over a period of 15 years, despite the doubling of the number of visitors, which reached 9 million visitors in the year. 2024. Galani said: "It is possible to walk around many parts of the museum without seeing a single guard." A French art expert also revealed that last year visitors were able to touch a painting by Raphael without an alarm being raised, which confirms the existence of repeated security lapses. In recent weeks, it was raided. Thieves at the Natural History Museum in Paris stole gold pieces worth more than $1.5 million, and the Limoges Museum in the center of the country witnessed the theft of art pieces worth $7.6 million. A loophole in the cameras
Macron intervenes
Security of French Museums
It was not 24 hours after the Louvre incident that another museum in eastern France, dedicated to the philosopher Denis Diderot, was subject to the theft of gold and silver coins after the display cabinets were smashed.
