LILLI HOLLEIN, the director of Vienna’s Museum for Applied Art (MAK), has just been through the toughest six weeks of her career. On August 27th two armed thieves stole a platinum necklace bedecked(装饰着) with 673 diamonds, designed by Van Cleef & Arpels(梵克雅宝，法国顶级珠宝品牌) in 1939 for Queen Nazli of Egypt, from a special exhibition at the museum. Wearing no masks, they entered the neo-Renaissance(新文艺复兴风格) building on Vienna’s Ringstrasse(维也纳环城大道，19世纪建筑瑰宝), bought tickets, wandered into the exhibition and smashed the armoured(装甲的，防弹的) display case with 41 blows from a hammer they had hidden in their clothes. Snatching the necklace, valued at more than $4m, they made off(逃走，迅速离开) on foot through the adjacent Stadtpark.
维也纳应用艺术博物馆（MAK）馆长莉莉·霍莱因刚刚经历了职业生涯中最艰难的六周。8月27日，两名持械窃贼从该馆一场特展中盗走了一条镶有673颗钻石的铂金项链，这条项链由梵克雅宝于1939年为埃及纳兹莉王后设计。两人未戴面罩，走进维也纳环城大道上的这座新文艺复兴风格建筑，买了门票，溜进展厅，用藏在衣服里的锤子猛砸41下，砸碎了装甲展柜。他们一把抢走这条估值逾400万美元的项链，随后步行穿过毗邻的城市公园逃之夭夭。
The MAK reopened the next day, having belatedly(迟来地，为时已晚地) installed metal detectors at the entrance, securing the doors long after the crooks had bolted. In subsequent weeks Ms Hollein, whose tenure as director had been extended by five years this spring, came under fire(受到抨击) for lax(松懈的，不严格的) security. On October 2nd an independent investigation found that the MAK and its staff behaved properly: had anyone tried to take on the thieves, they might have endangered themselves and the 104 visitors who were in the show(如果有人试图与窃贼搏斗，可能会危及自身以及当时在展厅内的104名观众的安全。). The museum had deployed 185 video cameras, 125 alarm sensors, special safety glass and trained guards. Yet the report concluded that such thefts by professionals cannot be prevented with reasonable measures(通过合理措施).
MAK于次日重新开放，但为时已晚地在大门处安装了金属探测器——此时窃贼早已逃之夭夭。此后数周，霍莱因女士因安保松懈而饱受抨击；她的馆长任期已于今年春天获延长五年。10月2日，一项独立调查认定MAK及其员工处置得当：若有人试图与窃贼搏斗，可能危及自身以及当时在展厅内的104名观众的安全。该馆已部署185个摄像头、125个报警传感器、特种安全玻璃和受过训练的保安。然而报告得出结论：此类由专业人员实施的盗窃，无法通过合理措施加以防范。
That claim seems bizarre(离奇的，荒谬的). It cannot be impossible to stop hoods(歹徒，暴徒) from walking into museums and nicking(偷窃（英式俚语）) the art. (Had someone thought of metal detectors earlier, they would have spotted the thieves’ hammer and pistol(如果有人早想到金属探测器，本可发现窃贼的锤子和手枪。).) Rather, it seems the threat has risen and the response remains inadequate. European museum directors, Ms Hollein says, are confronted with a new type of violent and brazen(肆无忌惮的，厚颜无耻的) theft. The robberies are often smash-and-grab(砸抢式（盗窃）) attacks that last just a few minutes. It usually takes four to five minutes for the police to arrive. Global losses from art theft for museums and galleries are estimated to amount to(总计达，相当于) $8bn annually.
这一说法似乎荒谬。要阻止歹徒走进博物馆偷走艺术品，不可能做不到。（如果有人早想到金属探测器，本可发现窃贼的锤子和手枪。）更确切地说，威胁已经升级，而应对措施仍然不足。霍莱因女士说，欧洲博物馆馆长们正面临一种新型的暴力和肆无忌惮的盗窃。这类抢劫往往是“砸抢式”袭击，仅持续几分钟。警察通常需要四到五分钟才能赶到。据估计，全球博物馆和画廊每年因艺术品盗窃造成的损失高达80亿美元。