Rolex ripper gangs fuelled a 15 per cent rise in thefts of luxury goods including watches, handbags and jewellery in London last year. Figures show there were almost 10,000 reported thefts of the valuable items in the capital last year. Designer handbags are becoming more sought after, with thefts of bags such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Gucci up 13 per cent, from 2,078 to 2,349.
The number of watches worth more than £3,000 that were stolen increased by 3.6 per cent last year from 2,002 to 2,074. The most targeted brand was Rolex, which was reported stolen 1,791 times, followed by Cartier (285), and Omega (219).
• The Rolex Rippers: the female gang of thieves terrorising Middle England Shane Wills, 39, from southwest London, was wearing a Rolex Oyster Perpetual watch while walking to South Kensington station at about 11pm in January when two hooded men approached him asking if he wanted drugs..
