Lax security at European museums

It's cops and robbers in the museums, and the robbers are winning. This article in the Dallas Morning News was spotted thanks to the Arts Journal (which can also help with registration for such sites). Here are some comments about the Louvre:

Sometimes museum heists are an inside job. Mr. Cadias said police believe the 1998 theft of Le Chemin de Sevres, a major painting by Camille Corot, is such a case. Rogue security personnel at the Louvre may have provided thieves with precise information about when the painting would have the least protection, he said.

"If true, it wasn't done for money, but for internal vengeance between people who were feuding at the Louvre, which has since improved its security," Mr. Cadias said. The painting has not been found.

A government auditor's report issued last year harshly criticized security procedures at the Louvre, perhaps the world's most famous museum. The report said the institution's management did not have a complete inventory of its collection and typically could not open many of its galleries for public viewing because of a shortage of guards.

In addition, workers often took coffee breaks lasting three hours or longer, the report said, and security procedures were found to be extremely lax. For example, when a security chief was fired after the theft of the Corot painting, he was allowed to keep his keys to the museum and a free apartment provided for his use for more than two years, the report found.

And, once again, the issue of European property laws:

Ton Cremers, manager of the Museum Security Network in the Netherlands, said laws in some countries – including his own – make it relatively simple to become the rightful owner of stolen works of art after a lengthy waiting period. This means the works can be sold openly at great profit, he said.

"European law is very different from U.S. law and British law. If you have stolen property, you will become the legitimate owner in five, 10 or 20 years," he said. "In the Netherlands, if you have valuable stolen cultural property, you could auction it after 20 years if you can prove you bought it in good faith. It's better than a pension." Mr. Cremers said criminals with large proceeds from drug sales that they cannot put into the banking system often turn to stolen art for this reason.

He said that stolen works are often sold to collectors in the United States but that criminal gangs have not generally targeted U.S. museums. There has been no noticeable increase in thefts at U.S. museums, Mr. Cremers said, while in recent years France has seen a 40 percent increase.

Posted by David on July 13, 2003 3:56 PM