At the Louvre Post-Heist, 'It's Time for Action'

The head of the Louvre said on Wednesday that new surveillance cameras and anti-intrusion systems will soon be installed at the Paris landmark after last month's stunning crown jewels heist. The cameras—some 100 of them—will be up and running by the end of next year, while anti-intrusion systems will start to be put in place within two weeks, Louvre director Laurence des Cars said, per the AP. She described the systems as equipment that will prevent intruders from getting close to the museum buildings, though she didn't offer specifics. The new surveillance cameras will try to ensure "complete protection of the museum's surroundings," she said.

"After the shock, after the emotion, after the assessment, it's time for action" at the world's most visited museum, des Cars told the National Assembly's cultural affairs panel. She said it was all part of more than 20 emergency measures that will be implemented. The new measures also include the creation of a "security coordinator" position at the museum, a job that has been posted this month, she added.

On the day of the heist, it took thieves less than 8 minutes to force their way through a window into the Apollo Gallery with the help of a freight lift and steal the $102 million trove. Des Cars unveiled some new details about the security breach that allowed the Oct. 19 robbery, saying the power tools used by robbers to cut through the display cases were disc cutters meant for concrete. "It's a method that had not been imagined at all" when the display cases in the Apollo Gallery were replaced in 2019, des Cars said. At the time, they had been designed primarily to counter an attack from inside the museum with weapons, she added.

Footage from museum cameras shows that during the robbery, the display cases "held up remarkably well and did not break apart," she said. "Videos show how difficult it was for the thieves." Des Cars stressed that security improvement is a priority of the decade-long "Louvre New Renaissance" plan launched earlier this year, with an estimated cost of up to $933 million to modernize infrastructure, ease crowding, and give the Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by 2031.