A finance worker whose Rolex was snatched from his wrist in central London says he wants to “leave the country” as he criticised the Met for an “appalling failure” to catch the robbers.
Luca, who surname has not been disclosed, was dining on an outdoor terrace at a restaurant in Elystan Place, Chelsea, in September when three men appeared and stole his valuable watch.
"Three people approached me," he told the BBC. "In one millisecond the watch was gone."
He pursued the robbers on foot along the King’s Road and managed to apprehend one of them, but police have not managed to bring the men to justice.
The Met was unable to source CCTV footage, and one officer allegedly later advised Luca dropped the case, telling him that if it came to court his identity would be revealed and he could be in danger of “potential retaliation” from the suspect.
Luca told the BBC he feels he has been let down b a "complete failure of the system", and said the Met could "do better".
The force says it has “found areas of learning” after speaking to Luca and reviewing the case, and said it was “regretful” the robbers could not be brought to justice.
The Met said officers tried to source CCTV from the restaurant a number of days after the robbery, but due to “a number of issues” this was not possible.
The force said it recognised its response had fallen below the standards victims “rightly expect”, and that the incident damages trust in police.
“We are so sorry to hear the victim feels let down,” said a Met police spokesperson.
“Robbery is an awful crime and has a lasting impact on victims.
“A senior member of the robbery team has spoken with the victim and explained that we have reviewed the case and where we have found areas of learning.
“We are grateful that he gave us his time to speak about the issues raised, but remain regretful that we were not able to achieve justice in this case.”
Following a spike in high-value watch thefts, the Met has urged owners to stay vigilant while wearing them.
In the six-month period prior to October 2022, there were over 300 watches stolen in the West End alone, with a total value of nearly £4milllion. A single watch can be worth a six-figure sum with brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe among the most targeted.
