Louvre Thieunts “Emergency measures” to increase security after Brazsen Crown Jewel Heist
Paris – The head of the Louvre Museum said on Wednesday that new surveillance cameras and anti-intrusion systems will soon be installed in Paris London after last month’s surprise crown jewels heist.
The cameras – some 100 of them – will be up and running late next year while anti-intrusion systems will begin to be put in place within two weeks, said the director of the Louvre Laurence des.
He described the plans as equipment that would prevent intruders from approaching the museum’s construction but did not provide details. The new surveillance cameras will try to ensure “total security of the museum’s premises,” he said.
“After the shock, after the test, it’s time to test, time to work” at the world’s most visited museum, des Cars told the National Asland’s cultural affairs committee.
He said it was all part of emergency measures “more than 20 will be implemented. The new measures include the creation of a “position” of security coordinator “at the museum, and the job was sent this month, he added.
On the day of the heist, it took the thieves less than eight minutes to force their way through a window in the Apollo gallery with the help of a lift and steal 88 million euros ($102 million).
At least five people have been arrested, but none of the treasures have been recovered. Master Jeweler and Parisian Gem Appraiser Stephen Portarier told CBB news that thieves are struggling to sell the loot.
“The whole world knows about this catch. Dealers will have pictures of all the different pieces in their offices,” he said. “So if they think they’re being given diamonds from the Louvre … they’re going to ask tough questions. And contact the police.”
Des Cars revealed new details about the security breach that allowed Oct. 19 robbery, means the tools used by robbers to cut cases showing that disc cutters mean concrete.
“It’s a totally unthinkable approach” when the Apollo gallery’s display cases are replaced in 2019, he said. At the time, they were primarily designed to counter attacks from inside the museum with weapons, he added.
Footage from the museum’s cameras shows that during the robbery, the display cases were “properly lifted and did not fall apart,” he said. “The videos show how difficult it was for the thieves.”
Des Cars pressed for security improvements is the priority of the Denade-Long “Louvre Renaissance” program launched earlier this year, at a cost of approximately 800 million, to make the Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery in 2031.
With the Louvre Crumbling under the weight of many tourists, the des Cars have cut the daily number of visitors to 30,000 in recent years.
The famous glass pyramid that was established in 1989 was designed to receive about 4 million visitors a year, he recalled. This year, of course more than 8 million people visited the louvre.
“The modernity of the Louvre is so low that the tall louvre of the 1980s is now out of date, with machines that have been under great pressure for 40 years,” said cars.
On Monday, the Louvre announced that it was temporarily closing some staff offices and one public gallery because they were structurally weak.
