JEWEL ROBBERIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21640, 4 November 1933, Page 2 (Supplement)

JEWEL ROBBERIES

EPIDEMIC IN LONDON

£50,000 IN FEW WEEKS

POLICE HUNT FOR RECEIVERS

. Thieves escaped with at least £50,000 worth of jewels in London in the course of a few weeks recently. In their endeavours to check their operations the police are directing their main attention to the receivers, a select few of whom have reaped most of tho recent harvest. If evidence can be secured for the arrest of the receivers, there will be a lull in the epidemic of " smash-and-grab " and safe-breaking raids. There aro very few competent " smash-and-grab " men working in London —two or three gangs at most—and tho safe-breakers are confined to a few clever workmen, who hail from Australia and have joined forces with a little band of Londoners. These gangs are compelled by the receivers to commit crimo after crime in quick succession to make a living—which is not a Very good one at the best of times. It is the very simplicity of the method adopted for working these raids that makes the task of the police so difficult. The necessity of a clean " getaway " is more important to the gang than the actual stealing, and there' are many shop windows full of jewellery in Mayfair which owe their immunity only to their location being unfavourable for rapid escape. j A shop apparently suitable for a raid may bo kept under observation day and night for a woek. The principal points studied are the times the polico patrol the street, the volume of traffic and

tho periods, if any, when lulls in it occur. A raid having been decided on, day and time are fixed. Probably two stolen cars are used, the first for the actu.il robbers, the second to screen them in their escape and to hinder pursuit.

Ihree times out of six these raids are successful. AY hen the robbers are clew away from the scene the cars are abandoned and tho men scatter to different parts of London Where alibis have already been arranged for them. Tho leader makes a dash to another car which is awaiting him and drives off to the receiver with his booty. There is little bargaining; the thief knows tho rate of payment lie will get—lo per cent of iiis haul. It is seldom more, often less.

A diamond may bo marked at £2OOO in the shop from which it is stolen; the receiver estimates its worth at £IOOO for disposal purposes. He hands over gang leader £IOO and says: " There are plenty more where that came from—go and get them, and there is another £IOO waiting for you."

The £IOO has to bo divided among a gang of five, which means £2O each for probably a week's work, with tho risk of five years' penal servitude. And when that money is spent—and it goes very quickly—the chance has to be taken all over again. Yet, badly as the receivers treat their fellow-criminals, they are seldom informed on. For as soon as a receiver is arrested and sent to prison the remainder of tho receivers stop business. That means that the thieves aro deprived of their market. Difficult as tho task is, the police aro concentrating on arresting these receivers. They aro liable to long periods of penal servitude.