ALMOST BENEATH NOSE OF POLICE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19154, 21 August 1930, Page 5

ALMOST BENEATH NOSE OF POLICE.

DARING THIEVES AT WORK IN AUCKLAND

(Special to the “ Star.”) AUCKLAND, August 20. The theft of about thirty diar mend rings, valued at between £2OO and £3OO from David Silk’s big jewellery establishment in Queen Street, last night, is the most daring robbery committed in Auckland for many years.

The robbery is considered _to be the work of a clever criminal who was not afraid to take risks. Immediately above where he worked there is a strong light, and all night long there are at least four constables constantly patrolling Queen Street. At two o’clock this morning one of the constables discovered that the glass case was smashed, a jagged hole about eight inches by eight being made in the plate-glass pane at the rear of the case. Treacle had been smeared on the glass to deaden the sound when it was smashed, while brown paper had been placed on top of the sticky mass in order to prevent pieces of broken glass falling on to the mezzanine floor.

All night long a gang of men had been doing repair work on the tramway lines and a number of automatic drilling machines were in use. These hydraulic machines made a considerable noise, and it is evident that the advantage of this was taken by the thieves to smash the showcase. Although the workmen were some twenty or thirty yards further up Queen Street, the noise of the drills could be heard plainly some distance away. No doubt the thieves watched the constable on his beat, slipped into the island doorway and carried out the robbery while the man in blue was examining the doors further along the street. The robbery was evidently carefully planned. There are four glass shelves in the showcase. On the top shelf reposed several plush cases containing the diamond rings, some of gold and others of platinum; in the second shelf were displayed ebony hairbrushes; and on the third, silver cutlery. The bottom shelf contained a large number of pipes. The hole was smashed in the glass pane a few inches above the top shelf, allowing a hand to be inserted to secure the rings. None of the other articles in the showcase was touched, the thief preferring the more valuable diamond rings. There are two larger showcases immediately behind the one broken open, but these, containing less valuable articles, were not disturbed. When the constable made the discovery this morning, one diamond ring was found embedded in the sticky mass of dripping treacle on the floor outside the showcase, while another was inside the case. Two price tags, each bearing the figures “£l2 10s,” were found inside. The stolen rings were of different shapes. Some were solitaires, others clusters and some crossovers, valued at from £6 to £l2 10s each. Mr Silk stated this morning that it had been the practice to leave these cheaper rings on display overnight. The more valuable rings are, of course, always taken out of the window at closing time and placed in the safe.

“Recently we have been leaving a wax hand containing a diamond wristlet watch worth £55 and a diamond ring valued at £25 in the showcase which was rifled last night,” said an assistant this morning, “but last night before we closed I took it out of the case. Had it been left in, it would probably have gone too.” On a board immediately above the rifled showcase was a notice reading “Stock must be reduced,” with a finger pointing downward to the diamond rings. It -is not known whether the thief took this as a direction.