We all know that expensive watch theft (well, theft in general) is a huge problem in London, so well done to the Metropolitan Police for actually coming up with a decent tactic to capture the little sh1tbags responsible.
Scotland Yard have this week revealed details and footage of a secret operation that has been working successfully for the last two years – having undercover police officers cosplay as rich kids in Soho, Mayfair and Kensington and Chelsea, and then pouncing on watch thieves once they’re inevitably approached:
Wonderful stuff. So far, the operation has led to 31 arrests and 27 charges, which ultimately led to 21 convictions. Which may not seem like a lot, but the most significant effects were indirect – the number of watch robberies in the boroughs of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham have halved between summer 2022 and summer 2023.
Ben Russell, the commander for Met Intelligence, says: ‘By targeting the people causing the most harm and the locations most frequently linked to crime, we are having a greater impact on keeping our communities safe. Undercover operations will always carry an element of personal danger and, while we risk assess all our operations thoroughly, all the officers involved demonstrated extraordinary courage and determination.’
Has to be more exhilarating work than cracking down on mean Tweets, that’s for sure. Fair play to the Met Police on this one and let’s hope they’ve got some ideas about tackling other kinds of crimes around the UK too, and not just crimes that affect Rolex-wearers either.
For the police officer who tasered a 10-year-old girl in her home, click HERE.
