'We have a real problem with moped attacks,' Chelsea MP says as Londoner attacked with machete for watch
24 August 2022, 11:41 | Updated: 24 August 2022, 11:56
Locals have said they are "shocked" and "worried" about the spike in moped watch crimes in London, especially as they "never see" police in the area.
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It comes after two attacks in Chelsea and Mayfair in broad daylight in recent days.
One clip on social media showed two moped thieves smashing in the window of a Bugatti Chiron with a hammer in a bid to steal the owner's watch.
The man on a motorcycle - who was dressed in Deliveroo uniform - made the move while stopping in traffic while another man could be seen closing in from the other side of the car.
Meanwhile, a woman was held at knife point while thieves were believed to be targeting her watch.
She could be heard screaming as the attack unfolded, with a man also getting caught up in the brawl.
The thieves made a hasty getaway in a car after being warned by horrified spectators that police would be called.
Speaking to LBC, MP for Chelsea Greg Hands said: "I am absolutely horrified, but it isn’t the first of these attacks, there's been a whole series going on most of this summer.
"There's obviously a real problem with moped-enabled people attacking in broad daylight in Chelsea.
"I think the motivation is to steal their watches but it’s not a crime to wear an expensive watch and we need to make sure the that the culprits get caught.
"I've even got a constituent who was attacked with a machete for his watch two or three months ago, which was quite a high profile case in Old Church street Chelsea so this is a really disturbing phenomenon and I'd like to see police really come to terms with who’s responsible.
"I don’t think there's a big group of the criminals but we need to find them – and fast - before somebody is killed or even more seriously injured."
Read more: Terrifying moment woman 'held at knife point by thieves attempting to steal watch'
LBC spoke to people in Chelsea about the impact the crime wave has had on them.
"It's quite shocking to see that [person] walking and just these guys come along on mopeds," one man told LBC's Charlotte Lynch.
"My wife is quite worried about it as well - she shows me the videos sometimes."
A local woman said: "It's not surprising anywhere in London really."
When asked whether police had warned her about recurring incidents, she added: "I never see them."
Another said: "There's been somebody around Battersea stealing phones from people's hands while they're on a bike.
"It's something I'm aware of but you don't really think about it until it happens to you."
Tom Swarbrick: Watch robberies are on the rise in London
A witness of the Bugatti attack said: "The moped thieves were at the hotel this morning and staff told them to get off the pavement.
"When Abdullah [the victim] left in the Bugatti they started following him all the way to Hyde Park Corner. One beeped their horn which I assume was the signal to start attacking.
"I assume they were waiting for a junction they knew would have a long red light so they had time to attack them."
Warning - footage on link contains swearing and potentially upsetting footage. Viewer discretion is advised.
LBC's Tom Swarbrick suggested recent e-scooter trials could be behind the jump in violent crimes in the capital.
"One of the unintended consequences of that seems to be groups of young men two at a time on the backs of the scooters using them as vehicles to rob people," he said.
"It's horrendous. It's very difficult for the police - they've done quite a good job on moped thieves from a few years ago."
"But it doesn't half add to people's sense of a lack of security – a lawlessness that exists at the moment – when they see these images whether its someone waiting at the traffic lights being dragged out of their car for their watch or a woman being attacked in broad daylight by a person with a knife just for their watch."
Last month the Metropolitan Police appealed to the public for help in catching watch thieves.
Scotland Yard reported there had been 67 watch thefts in central London between May 31 and June 27, an increase of roughly 60 percent in the previous four weeks’ total.
Warning - footage on link contains swearing and potentially upsetting footage. Viewer discretion is advised.
In advice on how to protect yourself from street robbery, the Metropolitan Police said locals should look confident, know where they are going and keep valuables out of sight.
Detective Inspector Treasa O’Donoghue, who oversees the Scorpion team - a highly specialised unit targeting criminals using mopeds to commit robberies - told the Times: "People are wearing these watches — £50,000, £100,000, £200,000 items.
"If you got £200,000 out of the bank, would you walk along the road with it? Absolutely not.
"It’s very easy for [criminals] to target [these watches] because they’re big, they’re blingy, they’re easy to see."
She said she was not telling people to stop wearing watches but urged them to be vigilant.
