The Louvre's director Laurence des Cars has acknowledged a "terrible failure" at the Paris-based museum following the theft of jewels worth €88 million.
Via the BBC, speaking publicly for the first time since the raid on Sunday (19 October), des Cars told French senators: "We failed these jewels."
Eight pieces of jewellery valued at €88m were stolen from the Louvre's Galerie d'Apollon by four thieves in a seven-minute daytime robbery.
These include a diamond and emerald necklace, a jewelled headband with nearly 2,000 diamonds, and a necklace containing eight sapphires and 631 diamonds.
To gain access to the museum, the gang of thieves used a truck equipped with a mechanical lift and entered the gallery via a balcony close to the River Seine.
Des Cars told senators that the CCTV system outside the Louvre is "very unsatisfactory", and that inside, some areas are too old to integrate new technologies.
Director acknowledges security "weakness"
She also said the only camera monitoring the exterior wall of the museum where the thieves broke in was pointing away from the balcony that leads to the Apollo gallery.
"We did not spot the arrival of the thieves early enough... the weakness of our perimeter protection is known," des Cars said.
"There is a weakness at the Louvre and I acknowledge it completely."
Laurence des Cars
The Louvre reopened to the public on Wednesday (22 October), although the Apollo gallery remained closed and a hunt is still underway for the thieves and jewels.
Des Cars said she had tendered her resignation to the French culture ministry after the incident but had been refused.
"We've had a terrible failure at the Louvre. I've taken responsibility for it," she said.
Images courtesy of the Louvre
