At a Senate hearing, Louvre director Laurence des Cars detailed failures in the Paris museum's security and also confirmed that she had offered to resign but the move was rejected by Culture Minister Rachida Dati.
For the first time since the devastating and daring robbery at the Paris Louvre, the director of the museum has spoken out.
Silent since Sunday's spectacular burglary, Laurence des Cars addressed the Senate Culture Committee on Wednesday afternoon.
The aim of her appearance was to explain how a gang of four men were able to steal several jewels belonging to France's ruling families in the 19th century.
The loss is estimated at €88 million_"in economic terms alone_", but the historical and heritage value is priceless.
No cameras covering the balcony of the Galerie d'Apollon
Since her appointment in 2021, the head of the Louvre said that she has regularly warned of the _"_state of deterioration and general obsolescence" of the institution, while pointing out that the staff "were not armed".
Laurence des Cars acknowledged that the museum's external video surveillance system was "very inadequate".
"There are a few perimeter cameras, but they are ageing (...), the number is very inadequate, and does not cover all the façades of the Louvre_",_ she lamented. According to des Cars, on the side of the Galerie d'Apollon, where the theft took place,"t_he only camera installed faces west and therefore does not cover the balcony involved in the break-in"._
Finally, in light of this vulnerability, she made a surprising proposal: the creation of a police station directly within the museum, to reinforce the security of a site that attracts more than 8 million visitors a year, making it the world's most visited museum.
Des Cars also confirmed that she had tendered her resignation in the wake of the theft, which was refused by French Culture Minister Rachida Dati.
Chronic under-investment
While Laurence des Cars asserted that_"the security system (...) in the Apollo gallery has worked perfectly",_ she nevertheless admitted that the system was _"_not adapted to a new type of attack, to new modus operandi, which had not been envisaged and to which we now have to react".
"Two years ago, the Louvre's main concern was to anticipate the actions of activists generally linked to climate issues (...) who threw paint or soup at paintings", she added, while pointing to_"_chronic under-investment in equipment and infrastructure".
A preliminary report by the Louvre, consulted by several media, had already highlighted a glaring lack of surveillance cameras and major failings in the protection of the site.
Speaking on RTL, the President of the Court of Audit, Pierre Moscovici, said the museum's security flaws_"_were known to the administration".
On Wednesday morning, the Louvre reopened to the public after its weekly closure on Tuesday and three days of disruption, as Euronews learned from museum staff.
However, the Galerie d'Apollon, the scene of the crime, will remain closed until further notice.
