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Louvre Launches Security Overhaul After Audit Faults Years of Underinvestment

The overhaul follows findings of chronic underinvestment with camera coverage limited to a minority of galleries.

Overview

  • The Cour des Comptes’ report, released Thursday, says the museum favored high‑visibility projects over safeguards, with about €105 million spent on acquisitions versus roughly €26.7 million on maintenance and compliance from 2018 to 2024.
  • Auditors found only around 39% of rooms had cameras in 2024 and estimated the full security modernization will not be completed until 2032.
  • Museum president Laurence des Cars acknowledged security shortcomings and said a plan to reinforce surveillance begins immediately, with an urgent board meeting convened Friday.
  • French authorities announced near‑term measures including anti‑intrusion and anti‑ram barriers and the reactivation of a multi‑year modernization program the museum says it will implement.
  • Four suspects have been charged in the October 19 heist that removed eight imperial jewels, which remain missing, as earlier warnings dating to 2014 detailed obsolete systems and weak passwords.