Hotel Security, Police Intercept Burglary of Ritz Hotel in Paris

Hotel Security, Police Intercept Burglary of Ritz Hotel in Paris

An organized burglary of Paris' Ritz Hotel was disrupted by hotel security measures and the police on Wednesday night.

At attempt to steal millions of euros worth of gems and jewelry from the Ritz Hotel in Paris was disrupted on Wednesday night by hotel security and police.

The robbery, which was audacious in nature given the five-star hotel's close proximity to France's Ministry of Justice, began when a gang of thieves with axes burst into the hotel's lobby through the back entrance and went straight for the jewelry cases on the ground floor.

The robbers were able to steal at least $4.8 million euros worth of jewels inside the hotel, but hotel security triggered an alarm that trapped three of the five men inside the shop.

Police entered the hotel from the back and fired at the trapped suspects with "Taser-type guns" before arresting them. The three suspects were in their twenties, according to police.

The remaining two remaining men escaped with the jewels, French police said. Authorities could not confirm if they got away with everything that they attempted to steal. Police said at least one man appeared to be waiting for them at an exit and that he and another suspect escaped on a scooter via rue Cambon. The scooter hit a passerby, who was not hospitalized.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb praised the police response. "Armed robbery at the Ritz: Three suspects already arrested by officers from the 2nd arrondissement. Their calm, their professionalism and their swift response is a credit to the Police," he posted on Twitter.

The Ritz Hotel is situated in the Place Vendome in Paris, the site of several popular city landmarks, including the Louvre an dthe Jardin des Tuileries. The hotel has an on-site shopping gallery of five-high end boutiques near the back entrance, right next to the Bar Hemingway. The gallery also features 95 showcases, located from the front lobby all the way back to the gallery, displaying luxury goods.

This is the second major jewel heist in a major European city in a week. Last week, thieves made a daytime heist of valuable gems and jewelry from the Qatari royal collection at an exhibition in Venice, Italy.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

Featured

  • Allegion, Comfort Technologies Implement Mobile Credentials at the Artisan Apartment Homes in Florida

    Artisan Apartment Homes, a luxury apartment complex in Dunedin, Florida, recently transitioned from mechanical keys to electronic locks and centralized system software with support from Allegion US, a leading provider of security solutions, technology and services, and Florida-based Comfort Technologies, which specializes in deploying multifamily access control, IoT devices and software management solutions. Read Now

  • Mall of America Deploys AI-Powered Analytics to Enhance Parking Intelligence

    Mall of America®, the largest shopping and entertainment complex in North America, announced an expansion of its ongoing partnership with Axis Communications to deploy cutting-edge car-counting video analytics across more than a dozen locations. With this expansion, Mall of America (MOA) has boosted operational efficiency, improved safety and security, and enabled more informed decision-making around employee scheduling and streamlining transportation for large events. Read Now

  • Security Industry Association Launches New “askSIA” AI Tool

    The Security Industry Association (SIA) has unveiled a brand-new SIA member benefit – askSIA, a conversational AI agent designed to help users get the most out of their SIA membership, easily access SIA resources and find the latest information on SIA’s training and courses, reports and publications, events, certification offerings and more. SIA members can easily find askSIA by visiting the SIA homepage or looking for the askSIA icon in the top left of webpages. Read Now

    • Industry Events
  • Industry Embraces Mobile Access, Biometrics and AI

    A combination of evolving workplace dynamics, technology innovation and new user expectations is changing how people enter and interact with physical spaces. Access control is at the heart of these changes. Combined with biometrics and AI, mobile access control has become increasingly crucial for deploying entry solutions that are seamless, secure and adaptive to user needs. Read Now

  • Sustainable Video Solution Delivered for Landmark City of London Office Development

    An advanced, end-to-end video solution from IDIS, with a focus on reducing waste and costs, has helped a major office development in the City of London align its security with sustainability objectives. Read Now

New Products

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”