The thieves who stole priceless crown jewels from the Louvre in October escaped with just 30 seconds to spare due to avoidable security failures at the Paris museum, a damning investigation revealed on Wednesday.
The probe, ordered by the culture ministry after the embarrassing daylight heist, revealed that only one of two security cameras was working near the site where the thieves broke in on the morning of Sunday October 19.
Agents in the security headquarters also did not have enough screens to follow the images in real-time, while a lack of coordination meant police were initially sent to the wrong place once the alarm was raised, the report unveiled at the French Senate's Culture Commission, stated.
"It highlights an overall failure of the museum, as well as its supervisory authority, to address security issues," the head of the commission, Laurent Lafon, said at the start of a hearing.
One of the most startling revelations was that the robbers left only 30 seconds before police and private security guards arrived on the scene.
"Give or take 30 seconds, the Securitas (private security) guards or the police officers in a car could have prevented the thieves from escaping," the head of the investigation, Noel Corbin, told senators.
He said that measures such as a modern security camera system, more resistant glass in the door cut open with angle grinders, or better internal coordination could have prevented the loss of the crown jewels -- worth an estimated $102 million -- which have still not been found.
Security risks were highlighted in several reports commissioned by management of the Louvre, including a 2019 audit by the jewellery company Van Cleef & Arpels.
The evaluation said the balcony used by the thieves was a weak point in security and could be reached by using an extendable ladder -- exactly what transpired in the heist.
Corbin confirmed that under-fire Louvre boss Laurence des Cars had been unaware of the audit which was carried out by her predecessor, Jean-Luc Martinez.
"The recommendations were not acted on and they would have enabled us to avoid this robbery," Corbin said, adding that there had been a lack of coordination between the two state-appointed administrators.
Police believe they have arrested all four thieves, who escaped on powerful motorbikes, having carried out the heist in the Apollo Gallery in around 10 minutes in total.
The revelations on Wednesday are likely to pile more pressure on des Cars, who was already facing calls to resign.