BIG JEWEL HAULS

Wairarapa Age, 19 March 1920, Page 7

BIG JEWEL HAULS

GANG OF MASTER CROOKS PREYS ON SOCIETY. The extraordinary number of successful jewel robberies in London of late points to the conclusion that they are the work of a highly-organised gang of master crooks, the like of which has never been known, says the Weekly Mail and Record. In two days alone £20,000 worth of jewellery was stolen from the West End, without taking into account the pettier thefts which are reported to the police nightly. The total amount of valuables notified to Scotland Yard as stolen each week represents an enormous sum of money. What is the secret of the success of the master crooks who are responsible for the periodical thefts of priceless gems? In the first place, it is the skill and audacity which mark the execu- 1 tion of a big haul, and in the second the carelessness «f the public, particularly the wealthy, who continue to ignore the oft-repeated warnings of Scotland Yard and neglect to take the most-ordinary precautions for the protection of their own property. The daring manner in which £lO,000 worth of jewellery was stolen from the house of Mr Paul Nelke, in Cadogan Square, recalls a similar enterprise in which a thief impudently scaled the front of the residence of the ex-Queen Amelia of Portugal at Richmond, and got away with much booty, including numerous royal presents. The strategy of the thief was identical in both cases. The jwel thieves of London, who work in organised gangs, and include the smartest brains in the underworld of Europe, are proving more than a match for the police. The neighbourhood between Russell j Square, King's Cross, and the Caledonian road is the Mecca of criminal London. Here crooks live an extraordinary existence, sleeping by day and working by night. They operate according to a schedj uled programme, and when a big coup hag been successfully engineered they j cautiously disperse to different parts I of London. The most puzzling feature of jewel robberies is the fashion in which the jewels are disposed of. There are scores of receivers in the East and West End of London, but the thief does not always take his loot to them at once. Sometimes it is hoarded for months. Women supply a useful camouflage in certain cases, and nothing is simpler to the female accomplice than to hide precious stones. One instance of how booty may remain undiscovered for a considerable period was brought to light a few months ago. A pawn ticket was found on a woman detained' at Cannon Row Police Station. It was issued by a pawnbroker in Somerset. j Detective visited him, obtained a certain address, and when they searched the place they found an.immense quantity of antique silver and valuables which had been procured in forty different robberies. A similar hiding place was found in Charing Cross road, and by diligent investigation the police were able to restore about £50,000 of missing property.