Des Cars is now asked why none of her predecessors raised concerns around the video surveillance of the Louvre's exterior.

In response, Des Cars says she can only speak from the point of a decision taken in September 2021 to ensure a focus on technical issues around security.

She reiterates issues of security have been "an absolute priority".

Asked again if there were interventions from her predecessors, she replies: "I can only observe, like you do, that those decisions had not been taken."

Des Cars says she's spoken about the issue of security repeatedly in the past.

"I am wounded as chair and director that the warnings I was raising - as a whistle-blower, in a sense - have come to pass last Sunday," she says.

"We've had a terrible failure at the Louvre. I've taken responsibility for it," she adds.

Image source, Reuters

Back now to Louvre director Laurence Des Cars, who is detailing the kinds of incidents that the Louvre had made preparations for in recent years.

These include attacks with firearms, and climate activists throwing soup or paint over artworks, she says.

Des Cars says attention turned over the last few months protecting precious metals, jewellery and stones. "We are seeing a change in the type of attacks," she says.

She blames "chronic under investment in equipment and infrastructure" for weaknesses at the Louvre.

Shortly before the Louvre director confirmed that she had offered her resignation, we heard from one of her colleagues.

Francis Steinbock, managing director of the Louvre, tells the committee he was shocked when he visited the five security control rooms and the central control room.

He says there are issues with the Louvre's "entire infrastructure, digital technology tools and cameras".

"All of the hardware is at stake," he says, adding that a job for a technical project manager will be created to help deal with this.

Given last Sunday's incident, we need to focus on perimeter protection, then we'll work wing by wing at the museum, he adds.

He says the work on the biggest wing will cost €12m (£10m), and the other wings will cost between €6-9m (£5-8m).

More on that breaking line now.

One of the members of the senate des Cars' offer to resign was "honourable", though ultimately rejected.

Who will now be held accountable and how, she's asked.

"I've never considered that we own the jobs we have... I don't want to go back to the personal attacks in the media," des Cars replies.

"All I can do is observe how information is being manipulated from a political point of view. I'm a victim of that and it's very painful," she says.

Another senate member says they hope the committee will get the chance to question Rachida Dati, France's culture minister, as many were "stupefied" by her insistence that the Louvre security did not fail

"I think the whole world is laughing," they add.

Image source, EPA

The Louvre director confirms she offered to resign but that it was rejected.

More to follow.

A picture of underfunding and outdated security at Louvrepublished at 16:26 BST

16:26 BST

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Listening to the litany of problems at the Louvre, which Laurence des Cars says has not really been renovated since the 1980s, it becomes clear why the world's most popular museum had become so vulnerable to attack.

Here are some of the issues she's raised so far:

• Cuts in surveillance and security staff over the past decade
• Obsolete technical equipment
• Ageing perimeter cameras that do not cover such a prominent balcony
• Decaying infrastructure that can't handle the latest generation of video equipment

Many museums and tourist destinations will recognise the challenges and failings in the Louvre.

But the fact is that des Cars has now promised improvements, which begs the question: why did she and her predecessors not prioritise these changes earlier?

Image source, EPA

Back now to the session of the French senate's culture committee.

Louvre director des Cars says the museum infrastructure is "aging" and that modern equipment cannot be simply added.

Des Cars says she was warned about "how obsolete" the equipment at the Louvre was when she took the job, in contrast to the modern equipment of the Musee d'Orsay, where she worked previously.

She adds that she hopes work will begin at the start of 2026.

Is anyone to blame for Louvre security debacle?published at 16:20 BST

16:20 BST

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Obviously, the answer is yes. Quite simply France's crown jewels should not be stolen from the nation's most storied museum half an hour after opening time on a Sunday.

And yet, there has been a curious refusal to admit failings, unless you count Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin's admission that "what is certain is that we have failed".

But the people most directly responsible - and they don't include Darmanin - have been more reticent about failings.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has admitted there was a failure, although he asserted: "The alarm system worked perfectly, as soon as the window was attacked, it was activated.

"Police were notified, and within three minutes they were on the scene. The whole system worked, it didn't fail, but what happened has happened."

Culture Minister Rachida Dati says the same: "Were the security measures at the Louvre Museum faulty? No, they were not."

The French public will be looking for more concrete explanations than that.

Asked if all the alarms and video system were functioning properly, Des Cars says the video system did.

Asked if they worked outside, she replies: "We did not spot the arrival of the thieves early enough... the weakness of our perimeter protection is known."

She says there are security perimeter cameras but they are aging and do not cover all the external walls of the Louvre.

The only camera over the Apollo Gallery was facing westwards and didn't cover the balcony where the break in took place.

As our Europe editor just mentioned, des Cars is calling for a police commissariat to be installed at the Louvre. Additionally, she says the number of security cameras needs to be doubled.

She says she wants a new system in the museum able to "look everywhere", as well as a modernised system for the detection of break-ins.

The museum has reopened this morning in a way that guarantees the safety of everyone, she says, adding: "We'll get over these traumatic events."

Admission of failings and a call for better securitypublished at 16:07 BST

16:07 BST

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

The Louvre director lists a series of renovations that have been going at the Louvre and yet despite all the museum's efforts admits "we have been defeated".

Her testimony is raw - she speaks of a tragedy and of an immense shock. She complains of seeing her name being thrown under a bus.

Although at times her words come across as impersonal, she promises that security will improve and that she has not been distracted from her mission.

There is a very different tone though from the more defensive words given until now by the culture minister and interior minister who have so far insisted that there were no security failings.

The failings, explains des Cars, were in the outdated security arrangements and she even advocates having a police commissariat at the heart of the museum.

Museums "are not and never will be fortresses - they are by their very nature open," says the museum director.

Image source, Reuters

Continuing to walk senators through the details of the robbery, Des Cars four minutes after an alarm sounded and the thieves broke in, they escaped through the window.

She says they attempted to set their vehicles alight but the security guards didn't let them.

They ran away but dropped one of the jewels which was badly damaged, she says.

Des Cars now talks through how the brazen daylight robbery was executed.

At 09:30 local time on Sunday, masked thieves parked a van next to one of the Louvre walls, and pretended to carry out maintenance.

They used a mechanical device to reach up to the museum's Apollo Wing, she says, where they managed to make a hole into the room where the jewels were, which they eventually broke through.

It was at this point that security guards signalled an intrusion. The thieves quickly fled and an alarm went off.

By 09:37, security had told police that the museum had been broken into, she adds.

De Cars continues to focus on CCTV in the Louvre, saying lots of cameras were added recently.

She says she decided to reinforce security measures at the museum following a police report in 2023.

She adds that over the last 10 years, there has been "strong security", but says there was a need for external help.

This summer, she received an external report on security and implemented what they advised, she adds.

Continuing to speak in France's senate, Des Cars says old buildings like the Louvre have "real structural issues".

Given that it hasn't really been touched up since the 1980s, it is "not up to standard", she adds.

Des Cars says she would like to close parts of museum "little by little" for refurbishment and making it more secure.

"It will happen over a number of years," she says.

She also says that they need to urgently look at why certain security measures have been delayed, and need to reinforce more CCTV.

Image source, Reuters

As Sunday's events are investigated, new security measures will be introduced at the Louvre, des Cars tells the hearing.

"I don't want to take a position of denial," she says, adding: "We failed to protect these jewels".

Des Cars says the museum's security personnel are "really upset" at the robbery, which happened on Sunday in broad daylight.

She says the Louvre - which partially reopened today - does not want to be shut. It welcomes around nine million visitors a year, she says.

She points out that no-one is protected from "brutal criminals - not even the Louvre".

Laurence des Cars is speaking now.

She says the heist has shocked the security agents of the Louvre and everyone who loves the museum.

"We cannot replace these items, and these collections that have been stolen are national collections," she says.

The jewels represent France to the world and all the world has expressed solidarity with France, she adds.

She says that since the robbery, she's seen her name "thrown in the gutter" and lots of misinformation.

Continuing, Lafon says the daylight robbery is suspected to have been ordered by a criminal organisation.

He adds that the heist and the ease with which the jewels were stolen is really concerning