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Police have made an arrest in relation to a jewellery robbery in Perth
‘Professional’ jewellery robbery gang outsmarted
 2.8 k views | Posted June 19, 2012 |
In more good news for jewellers and bad news for thieves, an arrest has
been made in relation to a robbery in Perth, which was potentially
connected to several other thefts in the area.
In late February there were reports of a series of robberies in Western Australia that shared similar executions. Shiels’ director Toby Bensimon contacted Jeweller last week to say that Police had recovered jewellery that was stolen from the Shiels’ store at Mirrabooka, one of the stores targeted in that series.
Western Australian Police confirmed that the South East Metropolitan District Crime team has made an arrest and recovered around $100,000 worth of jewellery from a residential address. Police confirmed that the jewellery was Shiels’ stock.
It’s welcome news for the retailer, and comes just a fortnight after of the arrest of another alleged thief over a separate snatch-and-grab incident at Shiels’ Spearwood store. Bensimon said he expected that the recovered stock was most of what was stolen and rated Western Australian Police’s record on solving robbery incidents at Shiels’ stores as exceptional.
“We will definitely get some of it back, they think we'll get it all back,” he said. “WA police, true to their form, have never let us down. We thought this [burglary] gang was professional, but now they seem anything but.”
Bensimon also credited Jeweller’s article, which was published online and distributed through the weekly newsletter, as having a positive effect on the case.
"It really goes to show the article that was written really helped, it inspired people to come forward and share information,” he said. “The Police had no idea before the story was run that there was a connection between the burglaries, jewellers should tell Jeweller mag when this kind of stuff happens.
“The story also made the jewellery industry communicate,” Bensimon added. “People were talking to each other and said they had similar things happen to them. That helped form a really clear picture of what was going on.”
The case again highlights the tight knit jewellery retail community and impressive level of communication when burglaries occur. Last week, Queensland Police made three arrests in relation to a series of robberies, with jewellery retailers tipping off Jeweller magazine as well as warning each other and discussing the burglary tactics
“I don't know if the whole [West Australian burglary] operation has been uncovered, but it's a great result,” Bensimon said. “The case is wide open now, it goes back a year and it was basically written off.”
Therese Jackson, owner of Verity Jewellers in Booragoon, another store that was robbed in similar circumstances to Shiels Mirrabooka, said she had not heard any updates from Police about the matter. Re-affirming the great communication in the industry, she said she would contact Bensimon to find out more details.
Western Australian Police said the arrest was a promising sign that other aspects of the burglary operation involving several stores in the Perth area would soon be uncovered.
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Jewellery store robber charged
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