With a discreet silhouette, in a black trouser suit, grey shirt and flat shoes, Dominique Buffin blends into the decor of the Louvre in Paris. So much so that lost visitors, mistaking her for a room attendant, ask her for the shortest route to the toilets or the Mona Lisa. “A lesson in humility”, “, says the person who has been in charge of the ultra-strategic reception and surveillance service since September 17, that is, 1,100 agents. A real symbol: for the first time in its history, the most visited museum in the world is protected by a woman.
At 45, Dominique Buffin is no rookie. For two decades she has quietly risen through the ranks of intelligence and security. For the past six months, as deputy director, she has experienced an accelerated apprenticeship at the Louvre under her predecessor, Denis Fousse. The chance to test your mettle in the Olympic whirlwind.
The museum is therefore on alert. There may be fewer tourists in the rooms, but the surroundings are packed every day. Every evening, thousands of spectators converge on the Tuileries Garden, on the perimeter of the Louvre, to follow the flight of the Olympic cauldron. It was necessary to monitor and regulate the flows and anticipate the movements of the crowds.
“I know the perfect paranoid manual!” laughs Dominique Buffin, who prefers to forget the stress of a high-tension event to preserve the “beautiful moments”, Like the passing of the Olympic flame on July 14th. Or the dinner for heads of state on July 25th under the pyramid. While the five hundred carefully selected guests are feasting on a blue lobster and a buckwheat crisp, Dominique Buffin is wolfing down a sandwich with his eyes glued to the surveillance screens, alert for any suspicious signs. There are always signs posted in this institution that welcomed nearly nine million visitors in 2023.
Brave but not impulsive
The senior official He can’t string two sentences together without his phone vibrating. Bzzz A child has disappeared in the Egyptian antiquities halls. Bzzz The child has been found. Dominique Buffin is careful not to look at all the messages in real time. When there is an emergency, we call him. “Otherwise, burnout is guaranteed!”
Bold but not impulsive, Dominique Buffin is not a hothead. The fantasy of Zorro or the superheroine is not her cup of tea. As a teenager, she hesitated between the profession of lawyer or police officer, before deciding after her law studies. Her parents are worried. Police are a risky profession, a man’s job. “Well, actually, no.” Dominique Buffin says that she is based on statistics: women make up almost a third of the national police force. Sexist excesses are no less frequent. However, she says that she has never experienced inappropriate comments and has had no difficulty in establishing her authority. Defending her gender is not her aim.
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