Louvre director admits 'insufficient' camera coverage after heist

President of the Louvre Museum Laurence des Cars (L) looks on prior to the start of a hearing before the Senate's culture committee chaired by French Senator Laurent Lafon (R) at the French Senate in Paris on October 22, 2025. Laurence des Cars has not made any public statement since the theft on October 19, 2025. Des Cars, who became the first woman to run the Louvre in 2021, is expected to be questioned about security at the Apollo Gallery, which houses the royal collection of gems. The museum on October 21, 2025 hit back at criticism that the display cases protecting the stolen jewellery were fragile, saying they were installed in 2019 and "represented a considerable improvement in terms of security". (AFP)

The director of the Louvre on Wednesday admitted to inadequate camera surveillance of the museum's outside walls, three days after thieves robbed it of prize jewels in a brazen daytime heist.

But Laurence des Cars said that a diamond- and emerald-studded crown that the burglars damaged and dropped as they fled on Sunday could be restored.

Senators on Wednesday grilled des Cars, who spoke publicly for the first time since the seven-minute theft on Sunday morning of jewels worth some 88 million euros ($102 million).

"Despite our efforts, despite our hard work on a daily basis, we failed," she said.

Des Cars said all alarms had functioned during the burglary, but admitted that security cameras did not adequately cover the thieves' point of entry.

"The only camera installed is directed westward and therefore did not cover the balcony involved in the break-in," she said.

Surveillance of the museum's outside walls involved just some ageing cameras and was "highly insufficient", she added.

But des Cars defended the museum's 80-million-euro security plan, disputing a recent report that cited "persistent delays" in putting it into effect.

Earlier on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron ordered "speeding up" security measures at the Louvre, after the Paris museum reopened its doors to tourists.

Museum-goers flocked to the institution for the 9:00 am (0700 GMT) opening, though the Apollo Gallery -- scene of Sunday's theft -- remained closed.

- Crushed crown -

The thieves on Sunday clambered up the extendable ladder of a stolen furniture hoist truck, like those used by movers, and used cutting equipment to get through a window into the targeted gallery.

Des Cars said they then managed to crack small openings in "high-end jewellery showcases" holding the imperial jewels, though "the glass was not broken".

"It was split and the thieves managed to pass their hands through," she said.

Among the items they grabbed, they crushed a crown covered in more than 1,300 diamonds and over 50 emeralds as they extracted it from its showcase, the museum's director said.

Investigators found that crown -- which once belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III -- after the robbers dropped it as they escaped down the ladder and onto scooters.

Des Cars said it appeared to have sustained most damage during its extraction from the showcase, but an initial assessment showed it could be restored.

The thieves however made off with eight other items of jewellery.

Among them are an emerald-and-diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and a diadem that once belonged to the Empress Eugenie, which is dotted with nearly 2,000 diamonds.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told French media earlier on Wednesday the investigation was "progressing", with "more than 100 investigators" on the case.

"I have full confidence... we will find the perpetrators," he said.

- Gold coins stolen -

The Louvre theft is the latest in a string of robberies targeting French museums, raising questions about security at the country's cultural institutions.

Less than 24 hours after the high-profile break-in, a museum in eastern France reported the theft of gold and silver coins after finding a smashed display case.

Last month, criminals broke into Paris's Natural History Museum, making off with gold nuggets worth more than $1.5 million. A Chinese woman has been detained and charged with involvement in the theft.

Also in September, thieves stole two dishes and a vase from a museum in the central city of Limoges, with the losses estimated at $7.6 million.

Thefts from the Louvre have however been rarer.

In 1911, an Italian stole the Mona Lisa, but the painting was recovered and today sits behind security glass.