Many tourists gather along the banks of the Seine near the Louvre Museum, which remained closed following the October 19 robbery. Paris, France, on October 20, 2025. PHOTO: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
A security guard at the Louvre says “outdated” equipment and “drastic staff cuts” have left guards “reaching the limit” of what they can do to protect the famous Paris museum, Sky News reported on Monday.
Elise Muller, who patrols the grounds of the former palace, said she was “furious” about Sunday's jewelery heist and that security lapses had long been reported.
She said: “We have raised the alarm through our union and our colleagues have repeatedly warned of the difficulties we face every day at work: equipment is in poor condition, sometimes even completely obsolete, coupled with a drastic reduction in staff. We inevitably reached the limit of what we could do to ensure the security of the building and its collections.”
A day after the audacious robbery in broad daylight, the doors of the Louvre Museum remained closed.
Disappointed visitors were denied entry as police continued to hunt down the gang who robbed one of the world's most famous museums.
“You can't even imagine. You see it in the movies. It was very well thought out and it happened in minutes,” Luis, a tourist from Mexico, told the British television station.
“I'm very disappointed, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come see him and now I won't get to see him again because the robbery is also a once-in-a-lifetime event,” added Cathy, a woman from Florida.
At around 9.30am on Sunday, the thieves used a motorized ladder to reach the first floor of the Louvre. They then broke the window and entered the Apollo Gallery, which houses the jewels belonging to the Emperor Napoleon and the French regents.
Inside, they took priceless treasures, including necklaces, earrings and a tiara, then fled on scooters, dropping a crown belonging to Empress Eugenie.
The prosecutor told the French media that this daring robbery was probably the work of an organized criminal group, who allegedly stole those pieces for a collector.
And the robbery has outraged many French people, who wonder how such a thing could happen. In a radio interview, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said France had failed, questioning why the museum's windows were not secured and how thieves were able to break in from a busy street.
Police are now desperate to find the culprits before the jewels are lost.
Alexandre Giquello, who deals with auctions of precious antiquities, says thieves will have to sell the jewels quickly and because they are so famous, they will not be able to sell them as whole pieces on the black market.
“If you want to take something like this, you have to destroy it – cut the stones, melt the gold, and that's the disaster in this case,” he said.
Sky News says it has contacted the Louvre Museum about the concerns raised by Elise Muller, but a spokesman said the institution would not comment.
In a statement on Sunday, the Culture Ministry stressed that a new security plan is being implemented as part of the “New Renaissance project” announced by President Emmanuel Macron in January.
The project includes enhanced security measures with state-of-the-art video cameras, perimeter detection systems and a new security control center.
But all this takes time, and catching the thieves who broke into the Louvre is now more than solving a crime, it means saving the national treasures and the reputation of France, notes the British station.
