SCIENCE BEATS SAFE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 2 June 1928, Page 11

SCIENCE BEATS SAFE

UNMISTAKABLY the work of master cracksmen was a cleverly-exe-cuted roboery in the heart of the diamond market of Bond on.

A massive .sale, containing jewellery wor th nearly £BOOO, was cut open with oxy-acetylene burners, and its contents abstracted. The robbery was carried out at the premises of Messrs. T. and A. Hirschfiekl, diamond mounters which as far as possible had been made thiefproof. 'the safe wherein the firm kept their stock of unmourited diamonds anil other precious stones, rings, brooches, watches and bracelets, is sft high and has exceptionally tough steel walls. Furthermore, it stands beside a window, is visible from the pavement on the other side of the street, and has an electric light always burning over it. If the light goes out a policeman calls to know the reason why, and if the blinds of the windows are pulled down, the caretaker in the premises opposite will be equally suspicious. The windows of the building opposite overlook the room. Every 20 minutes clay or night a policeman passes up or down the street, which with those of the immediate neighbourhood, is among, the most heavily patrolled in London. Seemingly the location was one of the] most impossible spots for thieves to work for any length of time, least of all with oxy-acetylene plant. The flame from the apparatus, while piercingly brilliant in darkness, would scarcely be noticed in daylight. For this reason it was considered that the thieves cut through the body of the safe in stages during daylight. Before setting to work they took elaborate precautions to arrange a way of escape in the event of their being surprised. A window at the

SAFEGUARDS DEFIED

top of the first flight of stairs was lifted out frame ana all, and in a small room next door tne ttneves cut out the glass or the window with a diamond. a lie lire escape door was also opened. The building was apparently entered on a Saturday alternuon by- means 01 a duplicate front-door key. For some days Indore a firm of sponge importers had been moving into tne ground floor, i and during that time many packingcases had been carried witiiin. When the steel oxygen cylinders, enclosed in boxes oft. 6in. long and 20in. deep and wide, were delivered by a motor van at the building the thieves relied on the supposition that people in the vicinity would believe they belonged to the sponge firm. Everything worked satisfactorily. The cylinders in their cases, stood against a number of other packing cases and when the staff of Messrs Hi.rschfield had gone home the thieves who are believed to have numbered four, arrived and moved them into the building.

One faint fingerprint on the controlling switch of an electric main, and the tw 0 oxygen cylinders which had been missed from a London County, Council tramway depot, were the only clues left behind. One diamond brooch valued at €2OO was found under a carpet in Messrs Hirschfield’s office, but the thieves ignored a safe containing £3OOO worth of jewellery on the floor above. They closed the door of the rifled safe while the metal they had burned away was still hot. and so caused the mechanism to “seize.” The police consequently were unable to open it without the assistance of the maker A reward of €BOO has been offered for information that will lead to the reco.ery of the jewellery.