By KATHERINE HOBY
A former Auckland Museum employee says security at the museum is "average at best."
The man, who did not want to be named, said he had worked as building systems supervisor for six months almost a year ago. He said the theft of a valuable Goldie painting on Tuesday
was not unexpected.
"I wasn't surprised to hear about the Goldie. I'm just surprised they haven't lost others."
The man said his concerns about security at the museum included security tapes not being changed for several months, inexperienced part-time staff and master keys disappearing or being mislaid.
While the museum was being refurbished, security on Goldie paintings had been very lax, he said. "They were all crated up and put in an unlocked room. People were coming and going all the time. Probably the only reason they were safe was that no one knew what was in the crates."
Museum director Dr Rodney Wilson said immediate action had been taken since the Goldie theft "to shore up one or two areas that were less secure than we would have liked."
All museums had to balance public access to artworks against the security of those artworks, he said. A security review was to be completed last night.
Dr Wilson said he was confident that updated security - a combination of electronic surveillance, physical methods and staff - would keep national treasures safe at the museum.
Police in charge of the investigation said they had received a lot of information from the public following the release of security camera footage from the museum. They would have to spend time working through the leads.
Anyone with information on the theft of the Goldie, Memories of a Heroine, a portrait of Hera Puna, should call 0800-008-800.
