Robbers mix with London shoppers to identify victims

Gangs of London robbers are using spotters in top London shops to identify wealthy jewellery buyers to target on the street.

The spotters watch counters and concessions at some of Britain’s best-known retailers to identify well-heeled customers before alerting fellow gang members outside the shops, industry experts said.

Insiders say that street thefts of expensive watches have become “more frequent and more violent” in London.

Amid a continuing rise in robberies, at an 11-year high, activity is focused in London, which accounts for four in ten of all such crimes, according to official statistics.

In England and Wales there were nearly 19,000 robberies at knifepoint in the year to June 2019, a 10 per cent increase over the previous year, according to a national crime survey.

The violent robberies are the most concerning in a rise in crime connected to luxury watches, which have included smash-and-grabs at shops, insurance fraud and

counterfeit currency, said the Watch Register, which claims to be the world’s largest database of lost and stolen watches.

“It’s not just random attacks on the street,” said a representative for the group, which seeks to reunite owners with their stolen timepieces.

“They have people based around the stores watching people buy from counters.

“Then they make a quick phone call to people outside describing what they look like.

“Then they attack them on the pavement outside. That has happened really, really regularly.”

Police have had some successes against the gangs – eight men were jailed in January for stealing watches in street robberies over seven months.

Police described a “shocking level of violence”, with some of the victims grabbed around the neck and thrown to the floor while the watches were ripped from their wrists.

Most incidents took place at night but one was during the day when the gang mistook a fake Rolex for the real thing.

Jewellery shops have joined forces to share security camera footage to try to identify the culprits and act as an early warning system for high-end jewellers.

This year alone, one network shared details of 556 crimes and suspicious incidents, including robberies, smash-andgrabs and thefts, said the National Association of Jewellers.

“Security is a rising concern for our members,” said its chief executive Simon Forrester. “Our members are increasingly worried about various criminal activities, including those linked to spotters.”

Police increased patrols in Knightsbridge, west London last weekend after the fatal stabbing of Mohammed Al Araimi, 20, an Omani student, close to Harrods department store. The killing was one of three murders in 12 hours.

The area has been a hot spot for attacks with criminals attracted to the wealthy area that is well-known for high-end watch retailers and designer outlets.