The theft of “priceless” French crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday should lead all institutions that hold valuable items to assess their security measures, say Northeastern University experts.
“This robbery may rewrite museum security protocols,” says Nikos Passas, professor of criminology and criminal justice and co-director of Northeastern’s Institute for Security and Public Policy. Even up-to-date technologies need to be assessed against the low-tech methods that the Louvre thieves used. “This lift, cut and escape is just stunning.”
Sunday’s heist at one of the world’s busiest and most famous art museums stunned Passas and other Northeastern experts for its brazen timing — 30 minutes after the museum opened. All told, the heist took seven minutes, according to news reports.
This presents questions about the quality of security training, technology and preparedness for forced entry that should be on the minds of exhibitors of valuable items, Passas says. Because, he says, if thieves can outsmart the Louvre, then all institutions are vulnerable.
“How on earth can this happen in the center of Paris?” asks Passas.
