The Louvre urged to speed up security upgrades in audit conducted before the heist

PARIS -- France's tribunal of auditors urged the Louvre depository to velocity up its information modernization plans arsenic a priority, successful a study conducted earlier the Oct. 19 jewels heist that noted large delays successful the renovation of the world’s most-visited museum.

Thursday’s study by the Cour des Comptes comes aft a bid of failings and information issues came to airy pursuing the robbery of the $102-million worthy Crown Jewels that shocked the world. The thieves utilized a truck-mounted handbasket assistance to scope a model of the Apollo Gallery and fled with the trove wrong minutes.

“The theft of the crown jewels is undoubtedly a deafening alarm bell,” Pierre Moscovici, caput of the tribunal of auditors, said astatine a quality conference.

The report, focusing connected the 2018-2024 period, said the museum's investments prioritized “visible and charismatic operations” similar buying caller pieces of creation and improving visitant experience. That was “at the disbursal of the attraction and renovation of buildings and method installations, peculiarly information and information systems,” it said.

A program to modernize information instrumentality was being studied since 2018 but its implementation kept being delayed, the study said. Actual method enactment was lone to commencement adjacent twelvemonth and was planned to beryllium afloat implemented by 2032.

"The gait is acold excessively slow," Moscovici said.

The tribunal of auditors believes information tin beryllium improved without hiring much unit astatine the museum, Moscovici added. A erstwhile appraisal shows that the Oct. 19 heist was made imaginable by outdated information systems, not due to the fact that of deficiency of staff, helium said.

The outgo for information modernization is estimated to 83 cardinal euros ($95 million), retired of which lone 3 cardinal euros ($3.5 million) person been invested betwixt 2018 and 2024, according to the report.

The depository said that implicit the past 3 years, 134 integer cameras person been installed to supplement oregon regenerate outdated cameras passim the museum, the study noted.

The tribunal of auditors, which is an autarkic body, recommended that the Louvre focuses connected priorities including bringing the museum’s method facilities, peculiarly information and security, up to standards, and chopped its expenses successful different areas. That means reducing creation acquisition and redeeming connected depository rooms' renovation projects, the study said.

In effect to the audit, the Louvre connected Thursday said it “regretted” that the study did not instrumentality into relationship the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic situation and the 2024 Paris Olympics, which the depository said impacted definite decisions.

The Louvre said it agrees with astir of the tribunal of auditors’ recommendations and already made akin proposals. It noted that the Oct. 19 theft occurred weeks earlier planned information improvements were to commencement being implemented.

The decade-long “Louvre New Renaissance” plan, which includes information improvements, was launched earlier this year. It is estimated it would outgo up to 800 cardinal euros ($933 million) to modernize infrastructure, easiness crowding and springiness the famed Mona Lisa a dedicated assemblage by 2031.

Last week, Culture Minister Rachida Dati said the Louvre volition instal streetside anti-ramming and anti-intrusion devices successful the adjacent 2 months, pursuing a provisional probe that recovered a “chronic, structural underestimation” of the hazard of theft astatine the Paris landmark.

Dati acknowledged “security gaps,” refused the resignation of the depository manager and cited 4 failings: underestimated risk, underequipped security, ill-suited governance and “obsolete” protocols.

Four suspects successful the Louvre heist were arrested past week, including 3 believed to beryllium members of the squad of 4 that was filmed utilizing a handbasket assistance to scope the museum’s window. They look preliminary charges of theft by an organized pack and transgression conspiracy. The jewels person not been recovered, authorities said.