Heist-hit Louvre transfers jewels to extra secure vault after brazen daylight raid highlighted major security flaws
THE heist hit Louvre has transferred jewels to an extra secure vault after the brazen daylight raid highlighted major security flaws.
A seven-minute smash-and grab-heist saw a gang of thieves with power tools steal crown jewels worth more than $102 million last week.
Now, in a desperate attempt to protect what remains of its precious gems, The Louvre has moved them to a high security underground vault.
Under a secret police escort, they were transferred to the Bank of France just 500 metres away.
There they will be held in the Bank’s “Souterraine” vault which is 27 metres below its head office and home to France’s gold reserves.
It’s thought of as impenetrable with a half-metre thick, seven tonne door and 17 tonne cement block.
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Get past that and you’ll find a 35 tonne rotating turret that stop any attempted forced entry dead in its tracks.
The eight crown jewels stolen in the smash-and-grab raid:
- Tiara from the set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense
- Necklace from the sapphire set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense
- Earring, from the pair belonging to the sapphire set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense
- Emerald necklace from the Empress Marie Louise set
- Pair of emerald earrings from the Empress Marie Louise set
- Brooch known as the “reliquary brooch”
- Tiara of Empress Eugenie
- Large corsage bow brooch of Empress Eugenie
- Another item – the crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie – was reportedly recovered from outside the window but broken
It comes as last Sunday’s heist highlighted major flaws in The Louvre’s security when the robbers stole France’s crown jewels in broad daylight.
The gang scaled the side of the world’s most visited gallery before opening a window to enter and steal the jewels, all within seven minutes.
Pulling up on scooters, four men arrived at the museum and used a cherry picker to gain access to the Gallery of Apollo on the first floor.
Climbing onto the balcony, they then used a glass cutter to break through the window.
Using power tools, they busted open display cases and stole nine glittering pieces from of France’s most valuable jewellery collection.
The jewels belonged to the the Napoleon and Empress Joséphine collection including a necklace that belonged to Napoleon’s wife,
The gang – described as a “highly organised commando unit” made up of four – were last seen disappearing on two Yamaha mopeds through the French capital.
Astonishing new footage has emerged of the burglars escaping down the cherry picker with their stolen loot.
There’s not a single policeman or security guard in sight as the thieves descend back to the pavement before speeding off on scooters.
French ministers are adamant that the museum’s security was functioning correctly.
But Louvre director, Laurence des Cars, has spoken of an “ageing” infrastructure.
She even said last week that the sole camera monitoring the area where the robbers broke into the Louvre was pointing in the wrong direction.
There have even been fears that the Louvre robbery was an inside job.
Paris police have now said they found digital forensic evidence that a member from the museum’s security team was in touch with the thugs.
It was also revealed yesterday that a second French museum was raided just hours after the Louvre robbery.
A German company has also raised eyebrows after launching a tongue-in-cheek ad campaign for their cherry picker which was used in the heist.
It comes amid serious fears that the jewels had been stolen so they could be sold off around the globe to the rich and wealthy via the black market, where they will likely never be seen again.
Robbers often prefer items that can be broken up, melted or made smaller which can also be converted into cash – such as the jewels.
This is because things like crowns and diamonds can easily be broken apart and sold into several bits.
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The final price might drop significantly compared to the entire historical jewel but it does allow for a safer and easier transaction if it goes to market.
If the Louvre’s famous artefacts are already in a safe house, then it is possible that they have already been cut up, melted down or even sold in full.