Weeks before a daring $102m jewels heist rocked the Louvre Museum, France’s court of auditors had already issued a stark warning, urging the world’s most-visited museum to urgently accelerate its long-delayed security modernisation plans.
The report, published on Thursday by the Cour des Comptes, follows a series of security failings that came to light after the 19 October robbery.
Thieves used a truck-mounted basket lift to access a window of the Apollo Gallery, escaping with the Crown Jewels within minutes.
The audit, which focused on the period between 2018 and 2024, found that the museum’s investments had prioritised “visible and attractive operations” such as acquiring new art pieces and enhancing visitor experience.
This was “at the expense of the maintenance and renovation of buildings and technical installations, particularly safety and security systems,” the report stated.
Despite a security equipment modernisation plan being under consideration since 2018, its implementation faced repeated delays.
Actual technical work was not slated to begin until next year, with full completion not anticipated until 2032.
The cost for security modernisation is estimated to be âŹ83 million ($95 million), out of which only âŹ3 million ($3.5 million) have been invested between 2018 and 2024, according to the report.
The museum said that over the past three years, 134 digital cameras have been installed to supplement or replace outdated cameras throughout the museum, the report noted.
The court of auditors, which is an independent body, recommended that the Louvre focuses on priorities including bringing the museumâs technical facilities, particularly safety and security, up to standards, and cut its expenses in other areas.
That means reducing art acquisition and saving on museum rooms’ renovation projects, the report said.
The decade-long âLouvre New Renaissanceâ plan, which includes security improvements, was launched earlier this year.
It is estimated it would cost up to âŹ800 million ($933 million) to modernise infrastructure, ease crowding and give the famed Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by 2031.
Last week, Culture Minister Rachida Dati said the Louvre will install streetside anti-ramming and anti-intrusion devices in the next two months, following a provisional investigation that found a âchronic, structural underestimationâ of the risk of theft at the Paris landmark.
Dati acknowledged âsecurity gaps,â refused the resignation of the museum director and cited four failings: underestimated risk, underequipped security, ill-suited governance and âobsoleteâ protocols.
Four suspects in the Louvre heist were arrested last week, including three believed to be members of the team of four that was filmed using a basket lift to reach the museumâs window.
They face preliminary charges of theft by an organised gang and criminal conspiracy. The jewels have not been recovered, authorities said.
