London calling - The fashion pack (of thieves)
A group of smash and grab crooks are causing havoc in London's designer boutiques. Joe Fountain on the latest phenomenon to hit London's most prestigious shopping streets.
There have been some strange goings on in the capital's swankier streets of late. Panic is spreading like the proverbial rash as more and more designer shops are falling victim to a gang of smash and grab thieves who seem as clued up on their designer labels as they are swift and agile. The list of labels whose shops have been broken into is sounding more and more like the opening pages of a glossy fashion magazine: Chanel, Gucci, Tod's, Ralph Lauren, Asprey (who has been hit six times), Marc Jacobs ... Poor Luella Bartley had only just opened her first boutique on Brook Street in the West End, only to have its door smashed and thousands of pounds worth of bags (the gang seems to target designer bags in particular) taken away - slap bang in the middle of Fashion Week.
The thieves have a particular modus operandi. They drive up on scooters, with the driver waiting to escape while the other person shatters the glass on the door or shop window and in a matter of minutes goes in and grabs as much stuff as he can, and returns to the awaiting scooter, which speeds off immediately. Given the prices on designer clothes, it's very easy for them to total up huge amounts of money in the time it takes them to strike. It has been estimated that already, £1 million worth of luxury goods have been stolen.
But all could be coming to an end for the thieves after the latest break-in this week, where the victim was French designer Sonia Rykiel. They turned up soon after midnight, jumped off their scooters and smashed their way in, to emerge a few minutes later with a number of the designer's Bulle bags - which retail at around £900 - only to be startled by a police patrol car doing the rounds. In the ensuing panic, one of the thieves dropped a bag, which is now being used by the police to look for clues which might lead to the perpetrators.
In the meantime, security has been stepped up in all the affected areas. It is now common to walk down Bond Street or Sloane Street to see burly security guards standing outside shops, even after closing time. Levels of paranoia are higher than usual, as the question on everyone's lips remains: When will the boutique raiders strike again, and who will be the next victim?
The thieves have a particular modus operandi. They drive up on scooters, with the driver waiting to escape while the other person shatters the glass on the door or shop window and in a matter of minutes goes in and grabs as much stuff as he can, and returns to the awaiting scooter, which speeds off immediately. Given the prices on designer clothes, it's very easy for them to total up huge amounts of money in the time it takes them to strike. It has been estimated that already, £1 million worth of luxury goods have been stolen.
But all could be coming to an end for the thieves after the latest break-in this week, where the victim was French designer Sonia Rykiel. They turned up soon after midnight, jumped off their scooters and smashed their way in, to emerge a few minutes later with a number of the designer's Bulle bags - which retail at around £900 - only to be startled by a police patrol car doing the rounds. In the ensuing panic, one of the thieves dropped a bag, which is now being used by the police to look for clues which might lead to the perpetrators.
In the meantime, security has been stepped up in all the affected areas. It is now common to walk down Bond Street or Sloane Street to see burly security guards standing outside shops, even after closing time. Levels of paranoia are higher than usual, as the question on everyone's lips remains: When will the boutique raiders strike again, and who will be the next victim?