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Daring Doge's Palace jewel theft forces police to seek expert help Daring Doge's Palace jewel theft forces police to seek expert help
(35 minutes later)
Italian police are trying to piece together how two audacious thieves stole millions of pounds worth of jewellery from a reinforced case at the Doge’s Palace in Venice before melting into the crowds and making their escape. Italian police are trying to piece together how two audacious thieves stole millions of pounds of jewellery from a reinforced case at the Doge’s Palace in Venice before blending into crowds and making their escape.
The pair made off with earrings and a brooch owned by a member of Qatar’s royal family on the final day of the four-month Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajahs exhibition, which brought together a collection of five centuries of Indian craftsmanship.The pair made off with earrings and a brooch owned by a member of Qatar’s royal family on the final day of the four-month Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajahs exhibition, which brought together a collection of five centuries of Indian craftsmanship.
Local police have called on the help of experts in Rome to try to establish how the pair managed to pull off the meticulously-planned theft early on Wednesday, which involved deactivating an alarm system. Local police have called on the help of experts in Rome to try to establish how the pair managed to pull off the meticulously planned theft early on Wednesday, which involved deactivating an alarm system.
The alarm was raised only several hours later at the Palazzo Ducale, in central Venice at one end of Saint Mark’s Square. The alarm was only raised several hours later at Palazzo Ducale in St Mark’s Square.
Police chief Marco Ordorisio said he suspected the thieves had previously scoped out the vast premises of the palace – which was once the residence of the former Republic of Venice’s rulers (or doges) and now attracts up to 4,000 visitors a day – before seizing their moment. Marco Odorisio, the police chief, said he suspected the thieves had previously scoped out the vast premises of the palace, which was once the residence of the former republic of Venice’s doges (rulers) and now attracts up to 4,000 visitors a day, before seizing their moment.
The declared value of the stolen items on customs forms was about €30,000 (£27,000), but police sources told the Italian media that they were probably worth millions. The declared value of the stolen items on customs forms was about €30,000 (£27,000), but police sources told Italian media they were probably worth millions.
“It was probably not an impromptu gesture,” Ordorisio told the Italian press. “The cases were supposed to be inaccessible and for this reason we need to understand the weaknesses [in the security system] in order to establish how they were able to commit the theft.” “It was probably not an impromptu gesture,” Odorisio said. “The cases were supposed to be inaccessible and for this reason we need to understand the weaknesses [in the security system] in order to establish how they were able to commit the theft.”
One weakness could be the case itself, which was provided by the show’s Qatari curators. One weakness could be the case, which was provided by the show’s Qatari curators.
The case had been opened “as if it was a tin can”, chief police commissioner Vito Gagliardi said. “We are clearly dealing here with two skilled professionals who managed to pull off their feat despite all the display rooms being fitted with a … highly sophisticated [alarm] system.” Vito Gagliardi, the chief police commissioner, said the case had been opened “as if it was a tin can”.
The al-Thani collection comprises 270 pieces of Indian and Indian-inspired jewellery and precious stones, spanning 400 years from the Mughal period to the present. It was assembled by Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah al-Thani and now belongs to Qatar’s ruling family. “We are clearly dealing here with two skilled professionals who managed to pull off their feat despite all the display rooms being fitted with a … highly sophisticated [alarm] system,” he said.
The Venice exhibition was due to close on Wednesday, the latest stop in a tour that has brought the collection to the Grand Palais in Paris, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Metropolitan in New York and the Miho Museum near Kyoto, Japan. The al-Thani collection comprises 270 pieces of Indian and Indian-inspired jewellery and precious stones, spanning 400 years from the Mughal period to the present. It was assembled by Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah al-Thani.
As police piece grapple with the investigation, a source working for the authority which manages museums across Venice said cutbacks in security have left the city’s cultural heritage vulnerable. The exhibition was due to close on Wednesday, the latest stop in a tour that has brought the collection to the Grand Palais in Paris, the V&A in London, the Metropolitan in New York and the Miho Museum near Kyoto, Japan.
“This particular collection of jewels was delicious for the thieves. They waited for the very last day, which was the perfect time to act,” said the source. “But it is something that could happen every day in every museum in Venice as security is lacking. Yes, we have all the devices and systems in place, but security has been compromised in recent years. Staff are under lots of pressure, but we need stronger vigilance.” A source working for the authority that manages museums across Venice said cutbacks in security had left the city’s cultural heritage vulnerable.
Marco Gasparinetti, who runs a residents’ group in Venice, suggested that the thieves might have been inspired by Vincenzo Pipino, the only other person to have successfully pulled off a Doge’s Palace heist, in 1991. The 74-year-old, nicknamed “the gentleman thief”, was jailed for 25 years for 3,000 art thefts across Venice. “This particular collection of jewels was delicious for the thieves. They waited for the very last day, which was the perfect time to act,” the source said.
“But it is something that could happen every day in every museum in Venice, as security is lacking. Yes, we have all the devices and systems in place, but security has been compromised in recent years. Staff are under lots of pressure, but we need stronger vigilance.”
Marco Gasparinetti, who runs a residents’ group in Venice, suggested the thieves might have been inspired by Vincenzo Pipino, the only other person to have successfully pulled off a Doge’s Palace heist, in 1991. Pipino, 74, nicknamed “the gentleman thief”, was jailed for 25 years for 3,000 art thefts across Venice.
“He was a kind of genius, always able to find his way into the most secure properties,” Gasparinetti said.“He was a kind of genius, always able to find his way into the most secure properties,” Gasparinetti said.
“What happened on Wednesday required a deep knowledge of the palace and security measures. It was similar to a Pipino performance – no violence, very discrete and successful.”“What happened on Wednesday required a deep knowledge of the palace and security measures. It was similar to a Pipino performance – no violence, very discrete and successful.”