Louvre heist sparks security scramble across French museums

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00:00Priceless crown jewels. Around the world everyone's talking about the priceless

00:05jewels stolen, but running the museum they came from comes with a very real

00:10price tag. The Louvre has long been under pressure with reports of stretched

00:15staff, aging systems and a heavy economic cost. Last year more than 8.7 million

00:22people passed through its doors, but when the museum was refurbished in the 1980s

00:27it was designed for less than half of that number. Even with ticket prices rising

00:33to 22 euros it struggles to keep up with demand. Long queues continue and staff

00:39have protested fatigue and heavy workloads. A state auditor report obtained by

00:45French media due to be published next month has criticized persistent and

00:49considerable delays in updating security equipment and warned that many rooms

00:54have inadequate security camera protection. Staff say security has long

01:00been an issue.

01:05Alerts have been issued for months and months by all the safety and security

01:08personnel, in particular to highlight the flaws and problems that we're facing daily.

01:13The investigation will provide individual responsibilities and will likely

01:17demonstrate a number of dysfunctions. We know that there are a number of

01:22failures that have existed for some time. The Louvre generates nearly 938 million

01:29euros a year for the French economy and supports up to 18,000 jobs. Back in January

01:36the president launched a new renaissance project to modernize it. The multi-year

01:40redevelopment plan includes a new entrance, a dedicated Mona Lisa room and the

01:45capacity to host more visitors by 2031. But all that is still years away. Curators

01:52say France's heritage isn't just cultural pride, it's an economic asset and

01:58protecting it demands real investment.

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