Regent Street smash-and-grab raiders still at large

BY YANN TEAR
yann@slpmedia.co.uk

Detectives have released an image of a man still wanted in connection with a watch store robbery committed in Regent Street a year ago.

Police were called after a smash-and-grab raid on the Watches of Switzerland store at around 10.20am on Tuesday, June 5, 2018.

One man has already been convicted but others are at large.

A group of six men on three mopeds and a motorbike drove up to the store front and one moped driver drove through the door to stop them from being closed by security staff.

Three men wearing black crash helmets then entered the store and attacked the display cases with sledgehammers, targeting the ones containing Rolex watches.

Another three men who remained outside, including one on a high-powered motorbike, were armed with knives to ward off security staff and members of the public.

Five display cabinets were broken into and 30 Rolex watches were stolen, worth £440,000.

The robbers fled with the stolen watches after the internal security smoke alarm was activated.

However, a passing police unit saw what was happening and chased after the robbers, who all ran in different directions.

One male was seen to abandon various items including a pair of gloves, a crash helmet and a bag full of 11 Rolex watches.

He was detained in Heddon Street. Police later recovered a further six Rolex watches from an address in Islington, near to where a moped had been abandoned, in total recovering £309,350 of stolen property belonging to the store.

Officers have recovered 17 out of the 29 watches stolen, worth more than £300,000. However, the damage to the store, including the cabinets destroyed, is estimated at about £100,000.

Detective Sergeant Gary Taylor, from the Met’s central crime unit, said: “Although one man has already been sentenced to eight-years for this violent robbery, we are still actively pursuing the other suspects involved.

“I have no doubt that someone will definitely recognise the person in the picture we have released and we need to hear from anyone with information that can help us.”

Anyone with information that can help identify the suspect is asked to call police via 101 and quote CAD 2179/05JUN18 or Tweet @MetCC.

Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.