York Art Gallery opened its doors to the public this morning as usual. But this was far from an ordinary day for the gallery and its staff. It was the day they began to come to terms with Friday's devastating raid.

The four employees tied up and threatened by the gunmen will need time to get over this traumatic experience. Our sympathies are with them tonight.

It will also take the city some years to recover from the loss. The thieves have ransacked one of York's most important buildings and taken some of our finest treasures. We hope the big police operation now underway is successful in catching the thieves and recovering the paintings.

As their detective work continues, York is left to consider the implications of the raid.

It was quickly established that the paintings belonging to the city were not insured. That is understandable. The 20 paintings taken are worth an estimated £1 million. Taken as a whole, the collection is worth much more. The insurance premiums would therefore be prohibitive to a local authority struggling to fund essential services.

The decision not to insure the city's art collection should have made security at the gallery even more of a priority, however. City of York Council's review of security needs to ask some searching questions.

Details of how the paintings were protected have yet to emerge. But it seems apparent that the interior of the gallery was not covered by closed circuit television surveillance.

During the raid, the gunmen wore masks. But the cameras could have caught them when they reconnoitred the gallery, posing as members of the public. A television still of their faces, published soon after the theft, would have greatly assisted the police hunt.

Another question we should ask today is: were the paintings alarmed? The ease at which the gunmen lifted them off the walls, before choosing which 20 to steal, suggests not.

Any museum has to achieve a balance between allowing easy public access and providing adequate security for its exhibits. No measures can stop the really determined raider.

But the council's review will have to consider if enough was done to protect York's art collection. It must act quickly. Should greater security measures be required, they must be implemented soon - before other thieves get the idea that York Art Gallery is an easy target.

see NEWS 'Paintings hunt draws a blank'

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