Scotland Yard has announced that luxury watch robberies have been cut by nearly half in London after undercover police operations carried out in the hope that brands such as Rolex would be targeted by criminals.
Metropolitan Police officers roamed the capital's glitziest nightclubs and restaurants, luring would-be robbers by posing with watches worth tens of thousands of pounds.
Show reporters a video of the undercover operation in Soho shown to reporters on Tuesday, where someone tried to steal a watch and was arrested by undercover cops waiting.
The operation reduced the annual number of watch robberies in the central London boroughs of Westminster, Westminster and London from 113 to 55 in the year to July 2023. Kensington and Chelsea. and Hammersmith and Fulham, police figures show.
Twenty-seven people were arrested in two operations spanning several months in 2022 and 2023. Of those, 21 were later convicted, according to figures provided at the press conference.
Commander Ben Russell of the Met Office paid tribute to the bravery of the undercover officers involved. “This operation was a success, thanks in large part to the courage of the police officers who volunteered to stand alone on a dark street in the middle of the night and be robbed,” he said.
Figures show watch robberies typically occur in fashionable areas between 11pm and 4am on Fridays and Saturdays. Mr Russell said thieves were targeting luxury Swiss brands worn by the wealthy.
He said: “These criminals hang out outside while people come out of bars and clubs, targeting intoxicated and vulnerable people.
“They also pinpoint areas in and around Westminster, such as Soho, Kensington and Chelsea, because people travel there for fun and because these people are generally quite wealthy. , because you know you might have a good watch.”
“They are looking for luxury watches that they can resell at high prices. There are no particular brands that stand out, but the likes of Rolex and Patek Philippe can be worth anywhere from £10,000 to more than £100,000.”
The operation comes after a number of celebrities had their luxury watches stolen, including boxer Amir Khan and singer and broadcaster Aled Jones.
Mr Russell told people he was tired of thieves and urged people to wear long sleeves to cover their watches when walking around town.
He said: “We think it's organized crime, but it's very opportunistic. Groups of young men, mainly in their 20s and 30s, are hanging around outdoor bars and clubs, finding people, and they knows what he is looking for.
“They're not stealing people's fakes, they're after people's original, authentic, expensive watches. We spend a lot of time talking to victims to make sure they are there.”
