Louvre heist security concerns

BREAK-IN: THIEVES BREAK IN THROUGH WINDOW AND FLEE WITH PRICELESS JEWELS

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A visitor takes pictures of jewellery at the Apollo gallery, at the Louvre Museum in Paris.

(AFP)

A raid on France's top museum that saw thieves flee with royal jewels has raised awkward questions about how well the country's priceless cultural heritage is being protected.

How could robbers with power tools break in and steal crowns and sapphire and emerald necklaces? And how can a museum spanning 73 000m² and housing around 35 000 works of art be secured?

The government said authorities had begun reviewing security at the vast Paris venue before the heist.

Labour unions there have complained that security staff positions there had been cut.

Here are some of the issues raised by Sunday's drama:

► The Louvre's then director Pierre Rosenberg warned that the museum's security was “fragile”, after a painting by French master Camille Corot was stolen in broad daylight in 1998;

► Taking over in 2021, its current director Laurence des Cars asked the Paris police to conduct a security audit of the museum; and