Time to End the Smash and Grab Robbery
Posted 2nd October 2017 by Helen LeachAccording to HistoryHouse, ‘smash and grab’ robberies have been around as early as 1708, and yet despite the advancements in security as well as the sophisticated execution of robberies today, the ‘smash and grab’ is still occurring every week in jewellers and other high-end stores across the UK.Just a simple google ‘smash and grab robbery’ search produced countless news articles – with at least nine smashes and grabs hitting the headlines since June 2017.
Here’s a run through some of the most notable cases this year, as well as the damage caused.
House of Fraser, London Victoria – Sept 19th, 2017
Last month, a smash and grab scooter gang escaped with handbags worth tens of thousands of pounds in a raid that lasted just two minutes.
Using axes and crowbars to break giant panes of glass in the shopfront display windows, the gang targeted a display by luxury handbag company Mulberry and escaped with 33 high-value bags.
Grey-Harris and Co Jewellers, Clifton – June 26th, 2017
Jewellery worth more than £1million was stolen during the armed robbery at Grey-Harris and Co jewellers.
Four men on motorcycles used axes and sledgehammers to smash the windows before escaping with the loot.
Thomas Jewellers, Ilfracombe – Sept 29th, 2017
A manhunt took place in Ilfracombe after a group of suspects got out of a car at Thomas Jewellers, smashed the shop front windows with hammers and a rock and escaped with thousands of pounds worth of new and antique jewellery.
Chronext Jewellery Store, Mayfair – Jan 19th, 2017
The Mayfair Jewellery Shop was targeted for a robbery for the second time in six months.
Four people on mopeds broke the windows of Chronext Jewellery store and fled the scene with a high quantity of goods.
In August 2016, the shop was targeted by a gang of moped thieves who were tackled to the ground by police who were lying in wait following a tip-off. The gang, armed with knives and an axe, caused more than £100,000 of damage to the shop.
Trinity Street Jewellers, Cambridge – Aug 7th, 2017
A gang on pushbikes and motorbikes took just 20 seconds to use a hammer to smash the windows at the well-known Cambridge jewellers.
The thieves made off with about £2,500 in jewels and caused damage to the shop racking up a bill worth thousands of pounds.
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Windows are the most vulnerable part of any building design, however, in the retail market, they are crucial to displaying your merchandise to passersby as well as contributing to the overall aesthetic of your shopfront design.
Smash and Grab burglaries are favoured by thieves due to the small amount of time it takes to carry out and the high-value reward that comes with it.
Met figures show moped-enabled crime has risen massively in two years with crime increasing from 1,053 in 2014 to 7,668 in 2016. So how can smash and grab robberies be prevented?
Well, there is no ‘grab’ with the ‘smash’. Brandished with an axe, sledgehammer, brick or other, thieves can break through a shopfront window in as little as twenty seconds.
This problem is completely eliminated with Hammerglass.
Hammerglass is 300 times stronger than normal glass and is tested to Security Class P8B (equivalent to the highest safety rating for grilles and roller shutters).
Featuring a unique coating of silicon oxide, Hammerglass is almost as resistant to scratches as normal glass, providing a high level of protection with all the aesthetic properties of normal glass.
To find out more about Hammerglass, please speak to our team of window security specialists on 0161 869 6561 or by email.
