It is not news that thefts of luxury watches are on the up.
The BBC even made a ropey documentary about it at Christmas, Hunting the Rolex Rippers.
More impressive by some distance is the CCTV footage recently released by the Metropolitan Police, showing officers rugby-tackling thieves on the streets of London’s Soho – by first offering themselves up as bait, posing as inebriated members of the public.
Jacket sleeves rolled up, bling-y timepieces on full display, strolling about after-dark or hanging about outside nightclubs – asking to be mugged, almost literally.
The new undercover tactics have seen 31 people arrested – 27 of whom have been subsequently charged, with a reduction of robberies by almost a third, following the first sting.
Met Commander of Intelligence Ben Russell spoke to Esquire about the success of his operation.
Esquire: Why did you feel these undercover tactics were necessary?
Ben Russell: We’d seen 300 watches with the value of about £4m stolen in the six months prior to the operation. That’s quite a significant value. At the summer peak, it was 10-15 watches a week. It was happening in quite a small area – 31 per cent of the offending was in Soho. When you can pinpoint the crime to a specific location and you can identify days of the week and times, you can be much more precise in your response.
Esquire: Are thieves better-informed about brands now?
Russell: I don’t think it’s about brands, I think it’s about value. They know how to spot expensive, and they know how to spot fake. It’s a lot easier to access that information on social media now. There’s a whole culture around expensive watches. It’s all about showing off the timepiece. [Thieves] don’t have to wander around jewellery shops to look at these things. [They] can do the research from [their] own homes. Twenty years ago you couldn’t do that.
Esquire: What training did your officers need for this? It doesn't look like a job for everyone
Russell: Yes, I completely agree. It’s pretty brave. It’s not easy. They’re criminals – they’re trying to steal something. And criminals are unpredictable. Crime is unpredictable. That said, the training is rigorous. We conduct thorough risk assignments. All police officers are given training in personal, protective safety.
Esquire: Would it be fair to say a certain amount of acting is involved?
Russell: Undercover officers are playing a part. And all of us play parts differently. The thing about a lot of these offences is the criminals are targeting people they perceive to be vulnerable. Maybe they think someone is drunk, or not in ‘the right frame of mind’. What might be normal at 2 o’clock in the morning is now normal at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
Esquire: We like nice watches. What advice would you give our readers?
Russell: We’re not telling people what to wear. That’s your personal choice. But insure your item; register your item. There’s various companies like Watch Register who have a register of who has what. If [a crime] does happen to you, report it immediately. We have quite a high presence in that area, so it gets treated as an emergency. The standard advice is ‘look up and look out’. Also, if you’re buying watches in central London having a nice bag with a brand name on it is a bit of an easy win for the criminals. So maybe bring a Tesco bag with you.
