Editor’s Note
This 2018 security audit, uncovered by Le Monde, forensically detailed the exact vulnerabilities exploited in the Louvre’s October 2023 burglary, raising serious questions about preventative measures.
It is a damning document that Le Monde has uncovered: a security audit, conducted in 2018 by the teams of the prestigious jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels, precisely describes the unfolding of the spectacular Louvre burglary on October 19 last. It particularly highlights the potential vulnerability represented by the balcony of the Galerie d’Apollon, as well as a potential “access” using a lift-type device. Exactly the scenario that occurred this autumn.
Contacted this Wednesday morning, the Louvre’s management has not yet responded to us. It had previously assured Le Monde that it only became aware of the results of this audit after the burglary. That is, four years after Laurence des Cars took over the institution: she succeeded Jean-Luc Martinez, president of the Louvre from 2013 to 2021, who had commissioned the audit. The museum’s current management told the newspaper that the audit documents “were not communicated during the change of leadership in autumn 2021.” Jean-Luc Martinez, whom we were unable to reach, had failed to secure a third term at the head of the Louvre, losing out to Laurence des Cars. He has since been indicted in an antiquities trafficking case but denies all responsibility and proclaims his innocence.
In 2018, the capital was experiencing a sharp increase in robberies – particularly of jewelry stores, located in the Louvre district. It was in this context that Jean-Luc Martinez commissioned an audit from the renowned experts of jeweler Van Cleef & Arpels. A year earlier, the Louvre had already received a fairly general but alarming report from the National Institute for Advanced Studies in Security and Justice. It expected specific recommendations from the experts, in order to undertake work to better protect the national treasures.
According to Le Monde, the particular vulnerability posed by the balcony of the Galerie d’Apollon was precisely described. One of the infographics even shows the balcony circled to dispel any doubt about its location. The report’s authors insist on the window facing the Quai François-Mitterrand, described as:
The text also explains, with supporting photos, that the nearby surveillance cameras leave a blind spot, preventing the monitoring of this entire weak point. On October 19, the perpetrators were able to access the museum through this location after using a lifting platform. They then broke the glass using an angle grinder and managed to steal pieces estimated at 88 million euros in just a few minutes. They fled immediately afterwards.
Four people were arrested on Tuesday evening. Three people suspected of having directly participated in the heist had already been indicted and remanded in custody. A fourth, presented as the partner of one of the suspects, had been placed under judicial supervision. But the jewels themselves have not been found. And the masterminds have not been identified.
According to the current Louvre management cited by the newspaper, the audit was “transmitted to the General Inspectorate of Cultural Affairs” to be included in the ongoing investigations. In early November, the Court of Auditors had estimated that the world’s most visited museum had “favored visible and attractive operations” to the detriment of security.
But the disclosure of the existence of this audit reveals another concern: could the unidentified masterminds and/or the perpetrators have had knowledge of the report? The question arises, given the similarities between the described scenario and the very real burglary this autumn. Meanwhile, seized with the theft case, the justice system has not yet been made aware of the audit’s content.
