On Sunday 19 October, the Louvre Museum was the victim of a major theft: jewellery from the Napoleonic era was stolen during a burglary that took place in broad daylight. The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office (France) has announced the opening of an investigation.
Unfortunately, the Louvre is not the only cultural institution to have been targeted by thieves. In recent months, there has been a rise in burglaries and robberies, particularly targeting objects in precious metal from cultural and religious institutions. This significant increase has reignited the debate on security within these institutions, and in museums in particular.
Ensuring museum security: a major challenge and a collective responsibility
It should be remembered that ensuring the security of objects is a major challenge for museums, which have an obligation to protect collections and pass them on to future generations. In this regard, it should be noted that the term ‘security’ is mentioned eleven times in the current version of the ICOM Code of Ethics. Article 1.7, dedicated to security requirements, stipulates that ‘The governing body should ensure appropriate security to protect collections against theft or damage in displays, exhibitions, working or storage areas, and while in transit.’
In this case, the competent authorities responsible for museum management must provide sufficient resources to ensure this security, and museum management must implement it. Responsibility is therefore collective. This is why ICOM supported a specific reference in the Salvador de Bahia Declaration (G20 Culture, 2024, Brazil, Art. 30) which reiterates the importance for States “further empowering these [cultural] institutions with a view to ensure their active role in the protection of cultural heritage” (see full text of the declaration).
Solutions exist
ICOM also provides operational support to museums around the world to ensure that the requirements of the Code of Ethics are met. ICOM’s operational strength is and continues to be its network. In terms of security, the international committee ICOM Security lends its technical and practical expertise to museum professionals. The aim of this committee of experts is to “to provide education, training and assistance and to protect persons and cultural property from theft, vandalism, fire and destruction”. The committee is made up of “working groups on Physical Security, Technical Security, Fire Security, Disaster Preparedness, Training, Publications and Rules”. Members of ICOM Security also closely monitor international developments in museum security and participate in analyses and capacity-building operations aimed at improving knowledge and tools for addressing these issues.
The importance of a specialised police force
The protection of cultural heritage does not only concern museums. Many other sectors have a specific role to play, among them specialised police forces. France is one of those countries that has understood the importance of having a police force dedicated to combating the illicit trafficking of cultural property, thereby implementing Article 5 of the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (UNESCO, 1970). The work of investigators at the Central Office for the Fight against Trafficking in Cultural Property (OCBC – office central de lutte contre le trafic des biens culturels) focuses specifically on this type of trafficking, which represents a real asset for the country. This office, which has just celebrated its 50th anniversary, has a long list of achievements to its credit.
Investigation underway
Following the recent theft at the Louvre, the investigation is ongoing, and the police and gendarmerie services are mobilised to recover the stolen objects. The professionalism of the specialists involved must also be commended. Hopefully, the forces involved will be able to recover these items and appropriately penalise those responsible.
This theft, in one of the world’s largest museums, reminds us that every time museum objects are lost, a piece of our collective history is lost too. Beyond their financial value, the loss of these objects signifies an irreplaceable loss of history and heritage, impacting society, the cultural sector, and the museum community as a whole. Improving museum security is a major national and international issue, and the museum community is committed to rising to this challenge.
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