Louvre director admits security failures and insufficient camera coverage after heist

President of the Louvre Museum Laurence des Cars looks on prior to the start of a hearing before the Senate's culture committee at the French Senate in Paris on October 22, 2025. BERTRAND GUAY / AFP

The director of the Louvre on Wednesday, October 22, admitted there was inadequate security camera coverage of the outside walls of the museum, three days after a brazen daytime heist stunned the French capital. Senators grilled Laurence des Cars about how thieves managed to make off with an estimated €88 million in jewels from the world-famous museum in just seven minutes. The heist has renewed scrutiny of security at French museums.

"Despite our efforts, despite our hard work on a daily basis, we failed," des Cars told lawmakers in her first public statement since Sunday. Des Cars said all alarms had functioned during the burglary, but admitted that security cameras did not adequately cover the thieves' point of entry.

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