European museums are no longer just losing their treasures to cat burglars in turtlenecks - they're losing them to folks who'd sooner blast a hole in the wall than pick a lock. Europol has issued a report noting that museum heists are getting increasingly violent, with thieves brandishing guns, tying up staff, and using sledgehammers, axes, and even explosives to crash the party.

The EU police agency, which apparently has better things to do than read art history, says that while museum thefts used to be a 'non-violent form of organised property crime,' member states have now spotted a 'shift towards violent and forceful methods.' This could mean new criminal networks have realized that art is worth more than a polite note left on the door.

According to the report, these new thieves aren't your typical cultural goods traffickers, who usually avoid violence and stick to their specialty. No, these individuals have rap sheets that include other crimes, and they coordinate on an ad hoc basis, often recruited locally through social media and instant messaging - because why build a crime family when you can just start a group chat?

Europol found that precious metals and jewellery are the preferred loot, thanks to their rising value and the ease of melting down gold and silver or popping out gems. Ancient Chinese porcelain is also on the shopping list, driven by high demand and easy resale on the art market. Nothing says 'high art' like a smash-and-grab.

Recent heists show no qualms about using explosives or violence. In January 2025, a gang blasted into the Drents Museum in the Netherlands and swiped several Dacian artefacts, many of which were later recovered. The report notes that some offenders use firearms to intimidate security and visitors, and some thefts involve tying up staff or using brute force. The violence is closely linked to targeted operations, suggesting these folks did their homework - they just skipped the etiquette class.

In 2024, four hooded suspects with baseball bats and axes stole seven gold and diamond-adorned objects from the Cognacq-Jay art museum in Paris. And the Louvre heist in October 2025? Also violent. Thieves broke a window, threatened guards and visitors, smashed cases in the Apollo Gallery, and made off with jewellery worth an estimated €88m. That's a lot of zeros for a bunch of shattered glass.

Europol says it's possible low-level thieves are being randomly recruited 'on a crime-as-a-service basis,' which sounds like a gig economy for burglary. Alternatively, criminals from other markets have realized that museum heists offer low risk and high profit. Because why sell drugs when you can steal a Monet?