Ramraid in Shepherd's Bush

Ramraid

Tonight saw a dramatic ramraid in Shepherd's Bush, as the new Uxbridge Road jewellers were the victim of a smash and grab robbery involving what appeared to be a stolen Range Rover, driven at speed into the plate glass window of the shop.

The new shop had only been open a few days, its windows full of sparkling jewellery, its owners no doubt hopeful of making a go of their new venture.

At around 5.30pm three men launched their robbery, smashing their way into the newly furbished shop, which until quite recently was the site of the Zi Cafe.

Despite living very nearby, I didn't personally see or hear the robbery. It was only the sound of voices and hubbub in the street that drew my attention, at around 5.40pm.

By that time the robbers were long gone, and the police were at the scene.

You can read a lot more, with a lot more pictures, at the Daily Mail online. It seems that some brave bystanders managed to wrestle down one of the criminals, but the others got away.

It's a sad day for Shepherd's Bush. Life is hard enough for anyone trying to turn an honest shilling in today's retail environment. How very brutal to have a brand new business destroyed in this fashion.

And even more depressing was the response of a local PC who explained to me that the member of the gang who was wrestled to the ground by brave members of the public would probably escape a custodial sentence because "it was his first offence".




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