Louvre jewels heist raises alarm across globe

THE day after the jewellery heist at the Louvre, officials from Washington's museums in the US were already talking, assessing and planning how to bolster their security.

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Doug Beaver, security specialist at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, revealed after the Paris theft: "We went over a review of the incident.

"Then we developed a game plan on that second day out, and started putting things in place on days three, four and five.

Mr Beaver also revealed he participated in Zoom talks with nearby institutions including the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art.

Similar conversations are happening at museums across the globe, as those tasked with securing art ask: "Could that happen here?"

Mr Beaver said: "The biggest thing in museums is the visitor experience. We want visitors to come back. We don't want them to feel as though they're in a fortress or a restrictive environment."

It's an issue many are grappling with most of all, of course, the Louvre, whose director, Laurence des Cars, has acknowledged "a terrible failure" of security measures. It was crystallised in a letter of support for the Louvre and its beleaguered leader, from 57 museums worldwide.

The memo in French newspaper Le Monde said: "Museums are places of transmission and wonder. "Museums are not strongholds nor are they secret vaults."

It said the very essence of museums "lies in their openness and accessibility".