The Louvre was urged to upgrade security in audit before the jewel heist

France's court of auditors urged the Louvre museum to speed up its security modernization plans as a priority, in a report conducted before the Oct. 19 jewels heist that noted major delays in the renovation of the world's most-visited museum.

PARIS — France's court of auditors urged the Louvre museum to speed up its security modernization plans as a priority, in a report conducted before the Oct. 19 jewels heist that noted major delays in the renovation of the world's most-visited museum.

Thursday's report by the Cour des Comptes comes after a series of failings and security issues came to light following the robbery of the $102-million worth Crown Jewels that shocked the world. The thieves used a truck-mounted basket lift to reach a window of the Apollo Gallery and fled with the trove within minutes.

A set of jewelry of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense's stolen during the heist.Stephane De Sakutin / AFP via Getty Images"The theft of the crown jewels is undoubtedly a deafening alarm bell," Pierre Moscovici, head of the court of auditors, said at a news conference.

The report, focusing on the 2018-2024 period, said the museum's investments prioritized "visible and attractive operations" like buying new pieces of art and improving visitor experience. That was "at the expense of the maintenance and renovation of buildings and technical installations, particularly safety and security systems," it said.

A plan to modernize security equipment was being studied since 2018, but its implementation kept being delayed, the report said. Actual technical work was only to start next year and was planned to be fully implemented by 2032.