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The failings, explains des Cars, were in the outdated security arrangements and she even advocates having a police commissariat at the heart of the museum.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

Senator Laurent Lafon, the president of the culture commission, kicks off the Senate hearing with a brief summary.

"The question isn't just whether the security worked properly, it's whether it was properly updated," he says.

Image source, Reuters

Louvre director Laurence des Cars has just taken her place before the members of the French senate's culture committee, from whom she will now take questions.

As a reminder, you can follow along by hitting watch live above. We'll also be sharing the key lines here.

In just a few minutes, the director of the Louvre - Laurence des Cars - will face questions from French lawmakers, three days after jewellery worth €88m (£76m; $102m) was stolen in a brazen daylight robbery.

We'll be providing text updates on the key lines from the hearing throughout.

You'll also be able to watch the hearing live at the top of the page with English translation. Stay with us.

Image source, Getty Images

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Image source, Getty Images

The first female director the Louvre since it came into being in 1793, she has kept her silence until now on the extraordinary events at her museum that have shaken France.

Laurence des Cars' position is so important, she was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron in 2021 with an unimpeachable record as former director of two of France's most important museums: the Musée d'Orsay, also on the banks of the River Seine, and the Musée de l'Orangerie.

She came to the Louvre post promising to make an overcrowded museum more engaging and dynamic to the 8.7 million visitors it welcomes every year.

After Sunday, her position has become very different and her name will from now on be linked to the Louvre heist and the security that somehow failed to protect some of France's most valuable heirlooms.

Standing alongside the culture minister, Rachida Dati, on Sunday evening, she looked pale, say commentators.

She handed in her resignation to the Élysée Palace only for it to be rejected. "It would be counter-productive to cut off a head today, if it's not the right one," a Palace official said, according to Le Figaro newspaper.

Image source, BFMTV

Around 60 investigators are working on the Louvre heist case as the search continues for the four suspects they believe carried out the stunning break-in.

Investigators say they're continuing to closely study CCTV footage from the escape route to find clues as to the suspects' whereabouts.

A specialist police unit with a "high success rate in cracking high-profile robberies" has also been tasked with tracking them down.

Authorities say their theory is that the robbery is connected to a criminal network, while a Dutch art detective, Arthur Brand, has told the BBC that he fears the jewels may already be "long gone" and broken up into hundreds of parts.

"This won't be their first heist," he said. "They have done things before, other burglaries. They are confident and they thought, we might get away with this, and went for it."

A ladder, some power tools, and some fast-moving feet were all it took to pull off a brazen daylight robbery that has left France reeling.

Over fewer than eight minutes, a gang of thieves managed to enter the Louvre Museum in Paris, steal priceless crown jewels, and make away without getting caught.

The four suspects - who remain at large - are believed to have arrived at the world's largest museum on Sunday 19 October at 09:30 local time - shortly after it opened its doors to visitors.

Using a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift, the group were able to gain access to the Galerie d'Apollon (Gallery of Apollo) via a balcony close to the River Seine. Two of the thieves got inside by cutting through the window with power tools.

Image source, Getty Images

They then threatened the guards, who evacuated the premises, before managing to force their way into two cases. It took just under four minutes till the priceless good were in their hands.

By 09:38, the thieves had already made their way back out onto the sidewalk before they made their escape on scooters waiting outside.

Scroll through our full visual explainer, which takes you moment-by-moment of France's most shocking theft

As we wait for the hearing to begin, here's a quick look inside the Louvre, which partially reopened to visitors today, three days after the shocking theft took place.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

The BBC's Paris correspondent Hugh Schofield visited the Louvre the day after the robbery.

Watch below as he he walks us through how the thieves gained access to the building before speeding away on motorbikes.

Image source, Louvre Museum

Eight items of jewellery were stolen in total, including an emerald and diamond necklace that Napoleon gifted his wife, Empress Marie Louise (pictured below).

Also taken was a diadem (jewelled headband) that once belonged to the Empress Eugénie - Napoleon III's wife - which has nearly 2,000 diamonds (pictured above).

The masked thieves also took a necklace that once belonged to Marie-Amelie, the last queen of France, which contains eight sapphires and 631 diamonds.

Although described as priceless, the jewellery has been valued at €88m (£76m; $102m) by the museum's curator, a French prosecutor told RTL radio.

Laure Beccuau said the sum was "extraordinary" but added the greater loss was to France's historical heritage.

Image source, Louvre Museum

Andrew Humphrey
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Three days on from the shocking theft of France's crown jewels from their display in the Louvre, the museum's director is to face questions from a parliamentary committee at 15:30 BST.

This morning, the Louvre reopened for the first time since it was evacuated and closed on Sunday when thieves broke into the building and made off with jewellery valued at €88m (£76m; $102m).

The heist made headlines around the world and caused outrage in France. President Emmanuel Macron described the robbery as an "attack on a heritage that we cherish".

Now, politicians will get to speak to the person in charge of the museum, Laurence des Cars. We'll provide full coverage with a translated feed from Paris when proceedings get under way, and updates and analysis here.

Image source, Reuters