Can I borrow your Sledgehammer?

[andrew e]

^ Check out the old boy :)

Passers-by were oblivious as a gang of motorbike-riding robbers staged a daring daylight raid at a branch of the Queen's silversmith today.
Their faces hidden by helmets, the thieves struck in the West End of London, using a sledgehammer to smash through a plate glass window before snatching handfuls of gems and watches worth at least £50,000 each.
Three of the gang revved their engines to a deafening level to mask the noise of the raid while their accomplices carried out the smash-and-grab at the exclusive Mappin & Webb jewellers at the junction of Old Bond Street and Piccadilly No-one inside the store was hurt during the robbery, which took place at 11.20am, while witnesses said the scene was reminiscent of 'a gangster movie'.
The chain holds two royal warrants and acts as silversmith to the Queen and Prince Charles.
Forensic officers yesterday cordoned off the area, which has a handful of expensive jewellers, but refused to comment what was taken from the store and its worth.
Witness Petra Remias, 25, who works in a shop opposite the jewellers, said: 'Three or four motorcycles pulled up and the men started banging on the window with a huge hammer - it made a horrible noise. It was like a gangster movie.
'People in the street started gathering around in a semi-circle to watch them. The raid lasted between five and 10 minutes, it wasn't quick.A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'At approximately 11.20am police were called to reports of a robbery at a shop in Old Bond Street. A number of suspects on motorcycles approached the shop and smashed windows before stealing items.
'Westminster CID are investigating. We have not been informed of any injuries.'
A spokesman for Mappin & Webb declined to comment.
Witnesses yesterday claimed it took police officers up to 25 minutes to arrive at the crime scene.
But a spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said their response time was much less, with officers attending the incident within two minutes of them receiving the call.

[Shakir Khaja]

Shocking - I heard on th radio that this happened off Picadilly today.... :shock:

[andrew]

^ Check out the old boy :)

Yep. One small step in the wrong direction for him, and it'll be a hammerblow to the head, and given his age...

[Seb d]

Nothing you can do I suppose

[Backward point]

".....worth at least £50,000 each"??????

The trouble is, no passer-by is going to have a go at them, are they? And the police are next to useless these days, so they're likely to get away with it.

Could have been an insurance job, I suppose......

[pastrana72]

:shock:

Glad it looks like the old chap did not try and stop it, it would have been sad if he had been hurt. Actually glad no one was hurt.

I noticed in one of the AD I pass, they have secondary glass on wire's behind the toughened main glass in the Rolex Window.
So if you can smash though the first glass, it makes a barrier between the glass and the watches, so you can not reach though and grab items. Also the way this glass is suspended makes it hard to break if you can get through the lamination like the window in this picture.

I think this is a good idea, remember thinking it was clever the first time I saw it.

However if I had a pound for each time I have accidentally and noisily head butted the glass in a jewellers window, when I have got a bit to close when checking out a cool watch, I would have at least a fiver.

[wust588]

" Next to useless" ? they can't be that good. Most spend their working lives behind desks, with the only risk being that they might run out of paperclips.
Mind you, I would have loved to have quietly snipped one of the bikes throttle cables with side cutters.

[AK-UK]

:shock: Shocking, I feel sorry for the staff, not a nice experience I'm sure. Do these people not know about the deals that can be had on sales corner?

[Blueboy1]

Police should be looking for people who post in Rolex forums - apparently the robbers have a expensive tastes. :albino:

[Huertecilla]

Mind you, I would have loved to have quietly snipped one of the bikes throttle cables with side cutters.

Maybe you should try that on a sunday afternoon first :wink:

Best way to immobilise a modern moto is to hole the front tyre or damage a front disc.

Even better not to and just alarm the police.
It's only money and should stay that way.

[andrew]

Brilliant, that CCTV isn't it :). It lets us look at pictures of the raids now, which we couldn't do before! Countless millions well spent.

[boddah]

if I had a pound for each time I have accidentally and noisily head butted the glass in a jewellers window, when I have got a bit to close when checking out a cool watch, I would have at least a fiver.

+1 :lol:

[Huertecilla]

Brilliant, that CCTV isn't it :). It lets us look at pictures of the raids now, which we couldn't do before! Countless millions well spent.

That is spot on Andrew.

Cameras DO NOT INCREASE SECURITY, just the perception of it and if anything that is a bad thing.
The thugs go incognito and do pretty much as they please now.

A worrying aspect is that a lót of wireless cameras are insecure and can be watched on the web... by the thugs: they watch the tele to see when the coast is clear.
That and the total lack of privacy off course. It is one thing that an operator is not watching the screen but quite another that anybody with the right software can tap the signal from the web.

[Seabadger]

Sometimes the old boys do get involved successfully - very lucky though that things worked out as they did.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... orces.html

[Blueboy1]

That is spot on Andrew.

Cameras DO NOT INCREASE SECURITY, just the perception of it and if anything that is a bad thing.
The thugs go incognito and do pretty much as they please now.

The whole point of CCTV is that they enable police to stay indoors and control by remote from the relative comfort and safety of the station. A police presence is the deterent - CCTV isn't. It's no wonder that thieves act with impunity. :scratch: