Louvre director recognises jewel theft failures, says she offered to resign

Laurence des Cars told France’s Senate the heist exposed the museum’s camera shortage and different information ″weaknesses”.

The Louvre’s manager has said a “terrible failure” successful information astatine the iconic Paris depository resulted successful past weekend’s daylight crown jewel heist, adding that she offered her resignation to France’s civilization minister, but it was refused.

Attempting to explicate to the French Senate connected Wednesday however thieves made disconnected with an estimated 88 cardinal euros ($102m) successful jewels, Laurence des Cars acknowledged that unit “did not observe the accomplishment of the thieves soon enough”.

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“Today we are experiencing a unspeakable nonaccomplishment astatine the Louvre, which I instrumentality my stock of work in,” she told the senators, adding that she submitted her resignation to Culture Minister Rachida Dati. She added that Dati, however, turned down the resignation offer.

Des Cars said Sunday’s heist exposed the museum’s shortage of information cameras extracurricular the monument, arsenic good arsenic different “weaknesses”.

She said portion the Louvre’s alarms were moving decently during the heist, immoderate of the museum’s cameras are “ageing”, portion the 1 nearest the thieves’ introduction constituent was “directed westward and truthful did not screen the balcony progressive successful the break-in”.

Des Cars said she would propulsion for a constabulary presumption to beryllium placed wrong the museum, portion she besides suggested that barriers beryllium erected to forestall vehicles from parking straight alongside the buildings.

The Louvre – which welcomes 30,000 visitors a time – reopened connected Wednesday, with tourists queueing up to participate the world’s largest and most-visited depository for the archetypal clip since the audacious daytime heist which stunned the world.

Four men utilized a motortruck with an extendable ladder to entree a balcony window, entering the Galerie d’Apollon (Apollo’s Gallery) done a model soon aft the depository opened astatine 9.30am connected Sunday.

The thieves erected bollards connected the thoroughfare to marque it look arsenic though they were carrying retired attraction work, des Cars explained.

In total, the thieves spent little than 4 minutes wrong the Louvre earlier making disconnected with 8 pieces dating backmost to the Napoleonic era. They made their getaway connected motorbikes done cardinal Paris. Three days on, the jewels stay missing and the thieves astatine large.

Among the haul was an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon Bonaparte gave his 2nd wife, Empress Marie-Louise. Also stolen was a diadem that erstwhile belonged to Empress Eugenie, woman of Napoleon III, which is dotted with astir 2,000 diamonds.

The thieves besides dropped Eugenie’s emerald-set imperial crown – encrusted with much than 1,300 diamonds – arsenic they fled. It was aboriginal recovered extracurricular the museum, damaged but recoverable.

French President Emmanuel Macron denounced the heist arsenic an “attack connected a practice that we cherish”.

None of the stolen items was privately insured, and the Louvre volition not beryllium compensated if they are not found. Insuring specified priceless works would outgo billions annually.

Staff astatine the Louvre person repeatedly highlighted concerns astir understaffing and overcrowding, with precise fewer eyes connected excessively galore rooms, resulting successful a unit walkout successful protestation successful June.

In January, Macron announced a important renovation program for the Louvre, which volition see information upgrades, aft des Cars complained of its derelict state.