Police are searching for moped and e-bike-riding Rolex burglars who use machetes to coerce customers into giving up their £20,000 watches.
In just two months, 109 incidences have been reported in some of London’s most coveted postcodes.
There were 42 watch robberies between April 26 and May 30 and another 67 the following month, a rise of more than 60% in districts like Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham.
Around the Boltons Conservation Area in Chelsea on July 12, a moped rider chased a couple and threatened them with a machete in broad daylight at 10:10 a.m.
Police are searching for moped and e-bike-riding Rolex burglars who use machetes to coerce customers into giving up their £20,000 watches.
In just two months, 109 incidences have been reported in some of London’s most coveted postcodes.
There were 42 watch robberies between April 26 and May 30 and another 67 the following month, a rise of more than 60% in districts like Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham.
Around the Boltons Conservation Area in Chelsea on July 12, a moped rider chased a couple and threatened them with a machete in broad daylight at 10:10 a.m.
Sadly, as offenders take advantage of the longer days and the busier streets, we are seeing an increase in these offenses throughout Westminster and the surrounding boroughs.
“We are aware of the effects these crimes have on each and every victim, which is why we this week began an operation aimed at resolving this problem.”
In areas where these crimes are most prevalent, more officers have been stationed there, including members of specialized groups like our Operation Venice squads.
We have already made a number of arrests in this matter, but we still need your assistance.
We know many of these crimes are captured on mobile phones or doorbells, and we want to see this evidence in addition to pushing people to report these robberies as soon as they happen.
Please contact us if you have any information that demonstrates a street robbery is occurring.
Anything that helps us piece together a picture of the people committing these crimes could be essential to our success in locating them and putting an end to their heinous behavior.
If you have any video or information about these crimes, or any other street robberies, phone 101 and mention Operation Furbish.
London will experience an upsurge in foot traffic during the summer, as will many other UK cities. Street robbers can operate more quickly when there are larger groups of people and more people crowded into a given space.
The Met Police has specialized teams of officers and detectives who focus on effectively responding to incidents of robbery as they occur on a regular basis, in addition to preventive operations.