Paul La Vigne | |
When thieves can steal priceless national treasures from the world’s most iconic museum in broad daylight, it’s time to reassess museum security.
On October 19, thieves entered the Louvre in Paris and stole eight pieces of jewelry worth more than $100 million. The daylight robbery took less than eight minutes to complete, and the criminals spent less than half of that time inside the museum.
Disguised as construction workers, the thieves climbed to an upper balcony using a truck-mounted lift, then cut away window glass to gain access to the gallery where the jewels were displayed. Upon entry, they threatened guards who fled the building.
The thieves then used those disc cutters to cut glass from two display cases and took eight priceless pieces of European history.Officials recovered the crown that once belonged to Empress Eugenie, which was dropped during the burglars’ escape, but none of the other items have been found.
So far, four suspects have been formally charged while numerous investigators and police continue investigating what happened.
Widespread Security Failures Reveal Major Vulnerability
This was just the most recent and notable incident in what Le Monde has called a “wave of robberies at French cultural institutions.”
Within hours of the Louvre heist, an unrelated pair of thieves stole 2,000 historic gold and silver coins worth $100,000 from the Maison des Lumières, a few hours north of Paris. As in the Louvre robbery, the robbers accomplished this with common power tools, cutting through gates and doors and then breaking open glass display cases.
All this happened just one month after thieves also stole porcelain treasures worth $11 million from France’s Adrien Dubouché National Museum in Limoges and $700,000 worth of gold nuggets from Paris’ National Natural History Museum a few miles from the Louvre. In both cases, all it took was hand tools and a lot of audacity.
The week before the widely reported French heists, thieves quietly broke into an off-site storage facility belonging to the Oakland Museum of California and stole 1,000 irreplaceable pieces.
Among the items stolen were pieces of modernist jewelry by the metalsmith Florence Resnikoff, historical campaign buttons, scrimshawed walrus tusks, Native American baskets, daguerreotypes, and athletic awards.
This was at least the second time the Oakland museum collection was burglarized. In 2013, a thief broke into the museum itself and took a Gold Rush-era jewelry box made of California gold, adorned with gold-veined quartz, valued at $800,000.
Fortified Physical Security Slows Thieves
The economic realities of operating any non-profit—even one as high-profile as the state-owned Louvre—are harsh. Budgets are tight, expenses are numerous, and it can be hard to justify spending on something intended to be invisible to the casual visitor or tourist. As a result, many museums find themselves forced to attempt to safeguard the world’s treasures and cultural heritage with insufficient security measures.
Following the heist at the Louvre, the museum’s director, who has since resigned, acknowledged serious security shortfalls, despite a recent push to improve safety and security. A lack of cameras left many areas unwatched and it’s reportedly very difficult to effectively monitor the system, which has other blind spots, including the balcony used for entry during the Crown Jewel heist.
Slowing these breaches would significantly change the calculus for thieves, demanding more arduous preparation while substantially increasing the likelihood of being caught red-handed.
Forced-entry rated doors, windows, and display cases are designed to withstand coordinated attacks using both brute force and a range of tools, including sledgehammers, prybars and propane torches.
For instance, our active shooter protection products have been independently tested to industry standards for both forced entry and bullet resistance, including ASTM F3561, ASTM F1233 and UL 752.
This means they are able to resist bullets from handguns and rifle fire and still withstand the impact of 16 heavy pendulum strikes per the ASTM F3561, a systems test.
A Practical Blueprint for Improving Museum Security
Protecting people, valuables, and the visitor experience means balancing a welcoming atmosphere with layered protection, smart procedures, and targeted technology. Here are some best practices to follow:
1. Start With a Risk Assessment To Identify Vulnerable Areas
Identify security‑sensitive areas, such as galleries with high‑value artifacts, loading docks, storage rooms and exhibit prep spaces. Note your current physical security elements and identify areas that may be unprotected, including side doors and windows. Don’t forget your building’s perimeter. Louvre officials acknowledged this was an underprotected area. It shouldn’t be easy for cars to park right outside the building or drive into it. If you need additional perimeter protection, consider adding concrete barriers and guard booths.
2. Reinforce Areas With Forced-Entry Resistant Barriers
Plan upgrades for any identified doors and windows, and implement a system designed to resist both bullets and break-ins. Keep in mind that this will likely include upgrading window and door frames as well because bullet-resistant and forced-entry resistant glass and glass-clad polycarbonate is heavier than standard glass. Consider using backglazing behind historic windows you’re not prepared to replace. These can be permanent, removable, or freestanding barriers. You’ll also want to review building access and may need to add targeted alarms on cases and perimeter openings.
3. Fortify Display Cases
Use glass that’s been independently tested to standards for forced entry resistance. Ensure cases are properly anchored. Evaluate UV protection and no‑spall glazing in areas where preservation and safety intersect. Good design protects displays while keeping sightlines open and galleries inviting.
4. Modernize Surveillance Systems
While the security alarm system at the Louvre functioned properly, additional cameras would have provided greater visibility. Prior to the break-in, the Louvre’s president and director conducted an audit that recommended significantly increasing the number of security cameras, including adding them to rooms that were to this point unprotected altogether.
Officials have stated that museum security system upgrades will be a top priority going forward.
5. Focus Security Personnel on High Value Activities
Train security officers and guards for proactive patrol, gallery engagement, and incident response. Use technology to automate logging, monitoring, and routine reporting. Cross‑train security staff with visitor services so security personnel can promote a welcoming atmosphere while protecting collections.
6. Strengthen Procedures That Reduce Opportunity
The fact that the thieves were dressed as construction workers allowed them to access the balcony without incident. In addition to upgrading physical security elements, museums should tighten policies around key control and contractor access. Verify backgrounds for after‑hours vendors and require escorts in secure zones. Be sure all employees know how to identify and respond to suspicious behavior.
7. Protect People First
Museums are public spaces. Design barriers and cases to slow intruders while providing safe egress for visitors and staff. Remember that people need to move out quickly during a fire or active shooter incident, and any additional security measures should not prevent them from doing so. Ensure any barriers protect without crowding spaces, and be sure fire systems and exits are always clear. Have a plan for evacuating guests or directing them to safe rooms protected by bullet-resistant glass or fiberglass.
Protecting American Treasures in a Virginia Courthouse
Total Security Solutions is dedicated to protecting people, so when we craft systems to protect museum pieces, it’s almost always as part of an overall security upgrade. This was the case when we designed a set of security solutions for the Loudoun County Courthouse in Leesburg, Va.
The Loudoun County Courthouse isn’t just an active municipal building; it’s a historical treasure trove. There has been a courthouse on this plot of land since 1758.
The bell on display in its belfry was cast in 1761, serving the courthouse since before the Revolutionary War. The courthouse changed hands more than 100 times during the Civil War, and was used as an encampment and headquarters by both Union and Confederate soldiers. All this activity has made the building and its grounds especially valuable to archeologists and historians. Many artifacts are on public display in the building.
In July 2005, a thief entered the courthouse midday, forced open a display case, and stole 14 coins that had been uncovered in digs around the courthouse. One of these pieces was a King George III penny, a colonial coin circulated during the final years of British occupation.
Courthouse security officials knew the building was due for a security upgrade. They had bullet-resistant glass in place in some areas of the courthouse, but it was years out-of-date and not up to UL 752 standards. The courthouse had already committed to bullet-resistant glass in two transaction areas, in addition to several bulletproof doors.
As the project progressed, they decided to add anti-theft protection to their historical displays. Our team designed and installed forced-entry resistant display cases custom crafted from Level 3 glass-clad polycarbonate.
Protecting What’s Truly Irreplaceable
Sensational stories like this wave of high-stakes, daytime heists at French museums make splashy headlines, but they also force a necessary reckoning.
For years, Louvre employees had argued for security upgrades and more staff to help manage crowds. During that time, Louvre officials actually cut security staff. It took this high-profile disaster to highlight these shortfalls and finally get stakeholders to address them.
But what really concerns us at TSS aren’t antique coins and crown jewels: it’s people. The Louvre gets 30,000 visitors each day, the population of a small city passing through a single building every day. What if the men who broke into that gallery were carrying guns instead of angle grinders?
This isn’t an absurd leap. Over the past 20 years, we’ve seen an increase in incidents of armed, ideologically motivated extremists targeting museums and their visitors, precisely for the same reason burglars target these places: they are perceived, correctly, to be “soft targets.”
Over the past several decades, TSS has protected more than 30,000 buildings—including historical buildings and museums—with custom security solutions. If you’re planning a physical security upgrade and need to protect valuable goods and priceless guests, reach out to us.
We come prepared to handle the entire project from start to finish. Our experts can help you assess vulnerabilities, design unobtrusive systems, and handle installation and cleanup without detracting from aesthetics or the visitor experience.
