Warnings that Irish museums need to up their security
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What is the “five‑minute heist” and why are Irish museums being warned?
The Claire Byrne Show on News Talk. With Aviva Insurance. Warning that is being sent out to Irish museums that they need to be prepared because tea thieves are becoming bolder right across Europe. You might have heard about the two Renoir paintings stolen last week. This follows a number of recent high profile thefts, including the Louvre heist this year, where over eighty million euro worth of jewels were taken. And all of this has given rise to what the art world is calling the five minute heist. Well, I'm joined by lawyer, CEO and founder of Art Recovery International, Chris Marinello. Good morning, Chris.
Morning Claire. Nice to be with you.
Thank you for being with us. What's the five minute heist?
How are modern thieves using AI and smash‑and‑grab tactics to hit small museums?
Oh well it's the way that criminals are getting in and out of our museums just before the alarms go off or while the alarm's going off and before the police arrive.
So when we picture an art theft, particularly a high profile one like the the Ren War one, for example, you imagine people planning for months and months and then a Tom Cruise type character being lowered down in a full body suit. on these wires and then being raised back up with his with his hole. That's not what's happening.
None of that is happening. They're going on to uh these a AI platforms and finding out what small museums are nearby, what they have, what is what these things are worth, and then they're smashing their way in with uh saws and sledgehammers and they're getting out just in the nick of time.
So what's the chat in the art world about all of this? Is there going to have to be a complete rethink of security?
I think th that every museum now or country house throughout Ireland and the rest of uh the world uh needs to r c reassess their Security measures. Uh w uh we know we want to keep items accessible to the public, but at the moment the our museums have become department stores for criminals. They're taking our cultural heritage, they're melting down precious gold objects, breaking up stones and walking away with uh artworks that we may never see again.
Why do experts say museum security must be completely re‑thought?
What do you do? I mean if it's if it's a smash and grab, it's very hard to to stop it, isn't it?
Well, we're gonna have to start moving more important and valuable pieces away from the doors and windows, put them into more secure positions throughout the museum. We're gonna have to think creatively because listen, everyone says, well, just pour more money into the museum security. But there is no money. There's a couple of wars going on in the world. We're coming we have a immigration crisis around the world. We're coming out of the COVID crisis. There's no money for the arts. We have to start getting creative. We have to start asking for uh perhaps uh uh showing passports when you enter a museum. Uh we do that at airports.
What creative, low‑budget security measures can museums implement right now?
Why can't we do it at a museum? This may stop the people who are casing the joints in advance. We've got to start moving jewels and gold to more vault-like conditions in a museum, and we have to increase. Increase the penalties that we charge these criminals with if they're ever caught. I mean, it used to be that crime didn't pay, but now it does.
So you're saying that every museum board, management of art galleries, they should all be sitting down having a meeting about how they're going to counteract the gang that arrive with the hammer and the saw to do a smash and grab?
That's right. They should be meeting right now because we seem to be having this conversation every three weeks as these gangs of criminals take on another country house or another small museum and walk away with items we may never see again.
Because we saw that with the Ren War theft last week. I mean, that really was opportunistic because they dropped two of them on the way out, didn't they? They'd no real plan.
Of course.
How does the black‑market trade of stolen art affect museum thefts?
This is these are not sophisticated criminals. They're they're thugs that are smashing and grabbing their way into these museums. Uh in at the museum that uh was recently uh held up in Messina, Italy, the same thing. They they couldn't get away with all the artwork, so they left one on the side of the building.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the “five‑minute heist” and why are Irish museums being warned?
0:01–0:45
2
How are modern thieves using AI and smash‑and‑grab tactics to hit small museums?
0:45–2:13
3
Why do experts say museum security must be completely re‑thought?
2:13–2:55
4
What creative, low‑budget security measures can museums implement right now?
2:55–3:55
5
How does the black‑market trade of stolen art affect museum thefts?
3:55–4:48
6
What actions should museum boards take today to stop future smash‑and‑grab raids?
4:48–5:31