It would surely take a superhuman gang of villains to have the strength to steal a 30-tonne Stonehenge stone from rural Somerset.
But nevertheless, volunteers have reportedly been put on high alert after French crown jewels worth £76million were stolen from the Louvre in Paris last month.
English Heritage, the charity which manages the historic site, is now giving staff ‘hostile reconnaissance training’ to ensure thieves stand no chance of getting away with another daylight robbery.
The ancient stone circle – believed to have been built 5,000 years ago – was estimated to be worth £51million in 2010.
But exactly how one might lift the stones remains a mystery.
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Charity bosses now want volunteers at the site to take a course that issues guidance on ‘how to recognise suspicious behaviour’.
One, however, believes the training may be no use. They told The Sun: ‘I’m not sure how a gang of thieves, no matter how big it is, is going to carry away a stone menhir.
‘To be honest, it also seems a bit much to ask volunteers to be ready to foil a criminal gang – especially as many of our sites are just old castles with nothing in them.’
On October 19 at around 9.30am local time, shortly after the museum opened, criminals arrived outside the Louvre with a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to gain access to the Galerie d’Apollon (Gallery of Apollo).
Two thieves got through a first-floor window using battery-powered disc cutters and then threatened security guards, who left the premises.
The burglars then broke into display cases and took nine diamond and gemstone-encrusted items, all dating from France’s 19th century royalty.
A crown was found damaged near the scene, suggesting it was dropped as the thieves made their getaway. One suspect has since been named.
The daylight robbery led to heightened security at cultural attractions across France.
English Heritage said: ‘We have existing procedures and training in place at sites where we have collections.
‘The incident at the Louvre – as it did I’m sure lots of other institutions – reminded our teams of those, and to stay alert to suspicious behaviour.’
Metro has approached the charity for further comment.
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