After Daring Heist, Louvre to Install 100 Cameras and Reinforce Perimeter Security

Paris — The Louvre’s director announced a rapid security overhaul after last month’s audacious theft of the museum’s crown jewels. The measures include about 100 new surveillance cameras and anti-intrusion systems to strengthen the museum’s perimeter and reduce the risk of a repeat breach.

Laurence des Cars told lawmakers that roughly 100 new cameras should be operational by the end of next year, and anti-intrusion equipment will begin to be deployed within two weeks. The upgrades are part of more than 20 emergency measures the museum is implementing immediately.

One of the new actions is the creation of a dedicated security coordinator role; the position has already been posted. Des Cars said the anti-intrusion systems are intended to prevent would-be intruders from approaching museum buildings, although she did not provide technical specifics.

On Oct. 19, thieves reached the Apollo Gallery in under eight minutes, using a freight lift and forcing their way through a window to access the display. The haul — the crown-jewel collection — is estimated at about €88 million (roughly $102 million). At least five people have been arrested in connection with the case, but none of the jewels has been recovered.

Master jeweler and Parisian gem appraiser Stephen Portier warned that the stolen pieces will be hard to sell because they are so distinctive. “The whole world knows about this robbery. Dealers will have pictures of every single piece,” he said. “If someone offers diamonds from the Louvre, dealers will ask hard questions — and contact the police.”

Des Cars revealed new details about how the robbers breached display security: they used disc cutters designed for cutting concrete to slice through the cases. The cases had been replaced in 2019 and were designed primarily to guard against an attack originating inside the museum; the concrete-cutting tactic had not been anticipated.

She added that security footage shows the display cases “held up remarkably well and did not break apart,” underscoring how difficult it was for the thieves to penetrate them.

Louvre New Renaissance and broader upgrades

Strengthening security is a central component of the decade-long Louvre New Renaissance modernization plan announced earlier this year. The program — which aims to update infrastructure, ease overcrowding and give the Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery — could cost up to €800 million by 2031.

Des Cars has already limited daily visitors to 30,000 to address mass tourism. She noted the famous glass pyramid, inaugurated in 1989, was designed for about 4 million visitors a year; the Louvre has received more than 8 million visitors this year. On Monday the museum temporarily closed some staff offices and one public gallery after finding structural fragility in parts of its facilities.

The Louvre says the immediate emergency steps — new cameras, perimeter defenses and organizational changes — are intended to restore public confidence and better protect its collections while the broader renovation continues.