Watch outlet raided in daring heist; timepieces recovered

First published: 09-04-2010

Police have discovered no fewer than eight Rolex watches worth in excess of £56,000 that were taken in a smash-and-grab raid on Oxford Street this week.

Following the arrest of a 22-year-old man in a car in Islington, the timepieces were recovered only hours after four men on a pair of motorbikes hit Watches of Switzerland at 10:00 BST on Wednesday, using a sledgehammer to break security glass.

A number of reports have led police to conclude that the robbers are connected to a group of gangs from estates in north London.

The raid is the second daytime attack on watch stores in the West End in as many months, though the borough of Westminster has established a squad to target gangs quickly and effectively.

Five men on three bikes hit the pavement outside the Mappin & Webb branch on Piccadilly and Old Bond Street last month as people stood by and watched, with some seemingly oblivious to the carnage.