Auditor finds security gaps at Louvre

PARIS — France's Louvre Museum began a security audit a decade ago but the recommended upgrades will not be completed until 2032, the state auditor said in a report on Thursday compiled before the spectacular heist there last month.

The daylight robbery, in which four robbers made off with jewels worth $102 million, raised doubts about the credibility of the world's most-visited museum as a guardian for its myriad works. Officials have admitted security was not up to scratch.

While investigators have charged four suspects with involvement in the raid, the treasures have yet to be recovered.

Only 39 percent of the museum's rooms had cameras as of 2024, the report said. A security audit begun in 2015, which found the museum was not sufficiently monitored or prepared for a crisis, only led to a tender for security work at the end of last year.

"It will take several years to complete the project, which, according to the museum, is not expected to be finished until 2032," the report said.

It said the museum's inability to update its infrastructure was exacerbated by excessive spending to buy artwork, only a quarter of which is exposed to the public, and post-pandemic relaunch projects, as well as inefficiencies and ticket fraud.

Even the development initiatives it announced this year were not based on feasibility studies, whether technical or financial, and did not consider staffing needs, the report said.

The report provided 10 recommendations, including a drop in the number of acquisitions by the museum, an increase in its ticket prices and a refurbishment of its digital infrastructure and governance.

In the face of a "chronic underinvestment in information systems", the auditor said, "the museum must strengthen its internal control function, which remains underdeveloped for an institution the size of the Louvre".

Agencies Via Xinhua