The Louvre Museum's director, Laurence des Cars, acknowledged a "terrible failure" and offered her resignation (which was refused) following a stunning daylight heist of France's Crown Jewels valued over $100 million. She cited security camera shortages and other "weaknesses" that allowed thieves to escape undetected.
Louvre Museum director Laurence des Cars acknowledged a "terrible failure" at the Paris monument after a stunning daylight crown jewel heist, stating she offered to resign but was refused. Testifying to the French Senate, des Cars revealed a damaging shortage of security cameras outside the museum and other "weaknesses" that were exposed by Sunday's theft of eight pieces from France's Crown Jewels, valued at over $100 million. She took "share of responsibility" for the incident, which stained France's global image and drew comparisons to the Notre-Dame cathedral fire. Des Cars admitted, "We did not detect the arrival of the thieves soon enough," despite alarms working properly. The museum currently lacks full perimeter video surveillance, though a plan for full facade coverage is in place. She also proposed implementing barriers to prevent vehicle parking near the buildings and establishing a police station inside the museum, which welcomes 30,000 daily visitors. The heist occurred just months after employees warned of chronic understaffing and underresourced protections.
