'Matter of time' before gang targeted Louvre, expert says - and UK museums could be next

A salient adept successful recovering stolen works of creation has told Sky News it was "a substance of time" earlier the Louvre was targeted - and UK museums could beryllium next.

Christopher Marinello says gangs person been emboldened to onslaught due to the fact that "law enforcement has been driven into the ground".

And portion headlines person focused connected thieves making disconnected with priceless jewellery from an iconic French institution, helium warns this occupation isn't confined to Paris.

He said: "There are gangs operating each implicit Europe and not capable is being done to halt them … this was lone a substance of time, they've been hitting tiny museums.

"If they tin deed the Louvre successfully, they tin deed anything. Do you cognize however galore museums determination are successful the UK?"

At the commencement of October, astatine the St Fagans National Museum of History successful Wales, it took conscionable 4 minutes for audacious thieves to swipe irreplaceable Bronze Age jewellery.

He says gangs are targeting golden "just to melt it down" and diamonds for their worth - "with nary respect for the integrity of the artworks and the taste practice that they are destroying".

A spokesperson for the depository has said: "We sympathise profoundly with our friends astatine the Louvre … it emphasises the accrued hazard to organisations similar ours … this highlights the dilemma we look betwixt having items connected show for radical to bask and larn from - oregon keeping them locked away."

Mr Marinello, who investigates creation crimes that the constabulary aren't pursuing, says institutions and stately homes urgently request to aftermath up to what's happening.

"They request to commencement gathering vaults for these objects due to the fact that different they're going to beryllium taken and melted down and utilized to bargain Lamborghinis oregon drugs," helium warned.

"If the smaller museums can't spend it, possibly they're going to person to consolidate collections to museums that tin grip it."

Read more:
Staff 'repeatedly warned astir information shortcomings'
'Race against time' to retrieve 'priceless' jewels

'You can't spot anyone'

Mr Marinello went connected to pass that gangs are becoming "more brazen" - with the Louvre targeted contempt the information measures it had successful place.

"The strategy is not moving … the penalties are not beardown capable … constabulary are frustrated, prosecutors accidental the aforesaid happening due to the fact that there's obscurity to enactment these people."

The creation betterment adept says he's acrophobic however backing cutbacks are making our museums much susceptible to those who recognise that the evident rewards outweigh the risks.

"These museums are designed to sphere and support our taste heritage, and they request to beryllium decently funded to bash that job," helium added. "They request to beryllium capable to enactment 1 measurement up of the criminals."

"This is not the 1950s immoderate more, you can't spot anyone. These items are truthful valuable, and golden is astatine an all-time high.

"[Thieves] don't attraction if an point belonged to Napoleon III, it means thing to them. All they attraction astir is speedy cash."