Flying Squad police officer 'seriously injured' as West End jewellery heist is thwarted
Officer in ‘serious but stable’ condition after being hit by robber attempting to flee on a moped
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A Flying Squad police officer is in a “serious but stable” condition in hospital after being hit by a moped following a thwarted smash-and-grab robbery at a luxury watch store in London’s West End.
Three other members of Scotland Yard’s anti-robbery squad were hurt during the raid at the Chronext shop in Piccadilly at around 11:30am on Wednesday morning.
Two suffered minor injuries and one needed hospital treatment for a cut.
Four men have been arrested and are in custody on suspicion of robbery.
An axe, knives and stolen jewellry were all recovered at the scene.
The men smashed the windows of the store and tried to make off with valuable watches, but were stopped in their tracks when Scotland Yard's anti-robbery team moved in after receiving a tip-off.
Officers fired their Tasers a number of times as the gang tried to flee and the injured officer was mown down by a robber fleeing on a moped.
Witnesses posted pictures online of two of the suspects pinned to the floor by police as one of the bikes lay on its side nearby. One shot showed debris including the axe lying on the ground.
Detective Superintendent Craig Turner said: "Our officers are absolutely committed to keeping London safe and target the criminals who pose a danger to Londoners and our city businesses day in, day out.
"They know that this work carries with it very real risks and dangers but take this in their stride as part of serving the public.
"However, today's events highlight how the reckless behaviour of those determined to evade justice, heedless of the consequences, can have a real impact on all those involved."
Describing the raid, he said: "Two robbers got into the shop, they were wearing helmets.
"One smashed the cabinet, but as soon as he did, he saw police coming out and his action changed and they both tried to get away."
Chronext chief executive Philipp Man, 25, who flew in from Zurich when he heard about the attack, said the raid resulted in around £500,000 worth of damage, but said the company were “planning on refurbishing the shop anyway”.
He said: "It's quite scary knowing you will be robbed in advance.
"I think we were targeted because we have a lot of stock and watches are quite easy to sell.
"You could see that these were not professionals. A machete is pretty medieval."
He said the police had tried to get into the shop to prepare before the raid but they had to prove they were real officers.
Mr Man said: "We deal with a lot of fraud, so we actually had to check the police were real."
He confirmed all the shop’s stock is insured and no customer stock was taken.
Additional reporting by PA