Scotland Yard has reported that a covert police operation involving undercover officers flaunting luxury watches has reduced luxury watch robberies by nearly half in central London. The operation targeted thieves in fashionable areas such as Soho, Kensington, and Chelsea, where officers posed with expensive timepieces to lure would-be robbers.
According to police figures, annual watch robberies in three central London boroughs—Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham—dropped from 113 to 55 in the year to July 2023. The operation led to 27 arrests over several months in 2022 and 2023, with 21 of those arrested later convicted.
Commander Ben Russell praised the bravery of the undercover officers, stating: 'This was a successful operation, primarily down to the bravery of our officers who volunteered to stand alone in dark streets in the middle of the night, waiting to be robbed.' He noted that thieves typically target luxury Swiss brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe, often worth between £10,000 and £100,000.
The operation was launched after several high-profile individuals, including boxer Amir Khan and singer Aled Jones, were robbed of their watches. Russell urged the public to be vigilant and consider wearing long sleeves to cover watches while walking on the street, describing the crimes as 'organised but opportunistic.'
