In broad daylight, on an ordinary Sunday morning, two armed robbers took only a few minutes to steal two of the world's most famous and valuable art treasures. Hidden by a disguise, the two armed men ran through the museum's cafeteria door and threatened two museum guards with a gun in front of 50-70 frightened visitors. After a brief search, they found what they were looking for and tore the irreplaceable paintings down from the walls.

Outside, a third man was waiting in a black Audi A6. The armed men ran towards the car carrying the heavy framed and glass-covered pictures, jumped in and vanished. Shortly thereafter, both the car and frames were found, but no suspects or paintings. The state of the stolen pictures is unknown, causing experts much concern.

First armed art robbery in Norway
This is the first time ever an armed art robbery has taken place in Norway. Although thefts similar to the Munch robbery have occurred in Europe and Scandinavia before, this incident robbed Norway of some of its innocence.

In recognition of this new risk reality, DNV was asked by Oslo municipality, which is the Munch museum's owner, to perform an analysis of the Munch museum's security measures relating to fire, burglary and robbery. A multidisciplinary team from DNV completed its report in November.

First museum analysed by DNV
"This is the first time DNV has performed a security analysis of a museum," says Monica Solem, project manager in DNV. "However, in this case DNV has leaned on its transferable security experiences from the defence, telecom and shipping industries. DNV's broad experience in risk management and assessment according to international standards has also been valuable in this project."

According to the Norwegian police authorities, the Munch robbery has increased the threat level to artworks in Norway. What seemed to be safe enough before the Munch robbery appear not to be so anymore.

All over Europe, the theft of Edvard Munch's masterpieces has stirred considerable debate about how to protect valuable art if thieves are willing to use deadly force to get hold of it. A principal question in this debate has been: What is an acceptable level of security that will guarantee the safety of valuable art while allowing the public to experience artworks without having to peer through thick safety glass, bars and barriers?

Time barrier vital
In order not to reveal the Munch Museum's security measures, the DNV security analysis is confidential. However, the following recommendations have been made public: to install a lockable gate for the general public at some distance from the entrance door, establish a labyrinth in front of the gate, install metal detectors, protect the valuable icons with glass, bolt all artworks onto the walls and further section the rooms where the artworks are stored.

"Armed robbery is a very dangerous and serious situation for both guards and visitors in a museum. That's why sufficient time barriers are so vital in a security system. The only possible way of preventing armed robberies is to discourage the thieves by creating enough time delay so that the police can get there in time," says Solem.

She adds: "At the time of the robbery, there were hardly any barriers to overcome in the museum."

The perception of security
Lise Mjos is Oslo municipality's director of art collections. She says that an open museum, with easy accessibility to the art pieces, represents a risk that the museum has been aware of. "We believed the museums security level to be better than the findings of DNV analysis. The building was upgraded ten years ago and we were about to install a new surveillance system. In our view, there were other and more urgent challenges, such as the preservation and storage of the artworks."

By letting the paintings stay out in the open day and night, Edvard Munch treated his own paintings rather badly. A hundred years later, many of his masterpieces are crying out for restoration and preservation.

Mjos continues: "The DNV report, as well as the art robbery itself, has made it quite clear to us that our impression of security was incomplete." In future, the security of the Munch treasures will be assessed according to the risks of fire, robbery and burglary as well as of moisture damage and aging.

An objective consultant
DNV's report contains no references to the costs of the security measures necessary to make the building comply with the new risk reality. However, present estimates of the recommended immediate measures to be implemented by the museum's owner are approaching between NOK 20-50 million. Further measures will bring the estimates considerably higher. The museum will remain closed until next summer in order to implement the immediate recommendations listed in the report.

"Out of the great number of existing consultant companies, we considered DNV to be the most objective and independent," says Mjos "We have great confidence in the report's contents and we will follow its recommendations."