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Louvre Chief Seeks Police Station Inside Museum as Macron Demands Faster Security Upgrades

Investigators are still searching for four suspects with none of the eight jewels recovered.

Overview

  • Testifying in the Senate, Laurence des Cars said she offered to resign after the theft, confirmed internal alarms worked, and acknowledged serious gaps in exterior surveillance.
  • Des Cars asked the Interior Ministry to consider an on-site police commissariat and proposed near-term steps such as hardening the immediate perimeter and restricting vehicle access.
  • She detailed a roughly €80 million security plan to modernize video protection, double camera coverage and overhaul access control, while disputing a Cour des comptes pre-report alleging persistent delays.
  • Emmanuel Macron called for an acceleration of security measures as Culture Minister Rachida Dati emphasized that internal systems functioned and highlighted weaknesses on public streets.
  • The BRB and OCBC continue the inquiry, examining fingerprints and items like a helmet and glove and probing a nacelle obtained via a bogus rental, as the Louvre reopens with the Galerie d’Apollon still closed and losses estimated at €88 million including Empress Eugénie’s diadem.