Howard Leedham, Managing Director of ESID DMCC writes for SJUK

When trying to reduce the material demands of two teenage daughters, I once came up with the excuse, “If you are lucky in life, you can have it all….but you can never have it all at once”. While they pondered the meaning, it gave me enough time to leave the room.

More recently, when walking the streets of London, I’m reminded of my own advice, but for all the wrong reasons.

In my own case, I’ve experienced a paraphrased version of good luck as described by the legendary golfer Gary Player in as much as the harder I’ve worked, the luckier I’ve been.  Fortunately, I’m a workaholic, so I consider myself blessed as lucky. And therein lies the rub.

Like a lot of guys, I like watches. The size of my small collection is carefully curtailed by my wife, but I also own a house in central London, and this is why, like many watch-wearers, I’m now finding I can’t have it all!

One of my former special forces colleagues recently commented about London, “When I return there, I feel like I’m back on ops”, and I think he’s right.  Following the 2019 murder and Rolex robbery of a 20-year Omani that took place just one block from Harrods, many Middle East countries warned their citizens of the hazards of wearing designer items and expensive watches on the streets of London.

The particular streets in question are those of Knightsbridge, Mayfair, and Chelsea, and if you are walking them wearing a desirable watch or handbag, you are being watched, and not by those with good intent.

The organised gangs prefer London’s sunny days that draw out crowds.  Blue skies over London bring out a relaxed attitude in shoppers, and when people are happy, they let down their guard.  “Dickers” walk the streets looking for a Victim; they case out diners sitting on the street outside cafes, and they follow expensive shoppers into department stores. These people look like you or me, or even your grandmother! 

They’ll carry a shopping bag from a mid-range store, if they are male, they will likely wear a hat, and although it’s not their role to rob you, they are creatures of opportunity, and if you get distracted and leave anything unattended, they’ll go for it.

The men will often sit in the womens’ shoes or clothes area. Their partner (not obvious to you), and usually a woman will be perusing items simply looking for a customer’s bag, handbag, or a jacket that is discarded for just a moment while the customer is trying on an item. The bag or coat is lifted, “fenced”, to the man, who puts it in his bag and exits the shop.  If a shop assistant is in on the act, he or she will be paid by the thieves later. 

When the theft is discovered, the shop doesn’t care because they haven’t lost anything. The London police won’t care because they have “bigger and better” things to do, and in any case, everyone knows that only 3% of thefts that occur in London ever get solved.

In the case of the watch wearer, a dicker is unlikely to ever rob. This is left to two men on a motor-scooter. The victim will be identified by a dicker and the call made. The moped duo will then spot, stop, and rob, often producing a knife and threatening to cut the victim or their loved ones.  The robbers have built a necessary reputation of violence, so the victim is left with a choice; hand over the hopefully insured watch or put up a fight and end up stabbed or even dead.  Within a few hundred meters of the offence, the watch and the knife will be “fenced”, i.e., handed to a person not associated with the actual robbery, so if the police stop the moped, no evidence is found.  Ironically, if one were to illegally park a car in any of the very same areas of interest, a fine would be issued in minutes. There is no similar reaction to more difficult-to-solve, non-fatal robberies.

So, what is a watch wearer to do in London?

Here I will preach what I practice.

1. Wear a watch that is valuable to you but not particularly easy to sell on.
2. Wear your watch on the inside of your wrist so it’s not easily visible to onlookers.
3. Wear long sleeves.
4. Don’t dine at “on-the-street” café’s wearing your watch.  Stick your watch in your pocket or sit inside.
5. Don’t wear a valuable watch in a pub, don’t talk to strangers who choose to talk to you.

If you have been socialising, don’t walk the streets, and:

1. Use a London taxi.
2. If you have a Rolex or high-end watch, leave it at home.

Of course, fake watches are available (although illegal), and some might view being robbed of one as having the last laugh; that is, of course, provided you aren’t stabbed in the process!

So, when walking the London streets, act like you are your own security, be aware of those around you, and if you want to be noticed, don’t carry a valuable on a wrist or finger.

Finally, ask yourself the question I pose to all our clients seeking a safer life. “How do you survive a bear attack?” The answer is, “You run faster than the person you are with.”

Every day visitors to London will get robbed; by following these few sensible pieces of advice, you are simply and metaphorically running faster than the strangers around you.

Good luck….and “What’s the time?”… DON’T FALL FOR THAT ONE!

Howard Leedham is the Managing Director of ESID DMCC, a Special Security Situations Company that serves a global clientele.  Howard is a former UK Special Forces Officer; he holds a rare Security Expert License issued by the UAE.  ESID’s strapline is “Your Unusual is Our Usual”. The website is at www.esid.me or www.specialsecuritysituations.com

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