Watches worth £1m stolen from wrists in London's West End every month, police say

London's Metropolitan Police says watches worth an average of £1m are taken from people's wrists every month in the West End. The figure was presented at Southwark Crown Court on Friday, where three men were jailed for stealing a £137,000 watch from a Romanian businessman outside a restaurant in Mayfair. The case highlights how common such street robberies are in some of the capital's busiest districts.

The figures

Between January and June there were 97 watch robberies, including attempts, across Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Hammersmith and Fulham. Those boroughs recorded 1,196 robberies in total over the period. A further 70 watches were stolen from July to September.

In a statement referred to in court, Det Sgt Andy Swindells said that despite police efforts, high-value watch robbery "remains a problem in the West End". He said a knife had been seen or implied in a fifth of watch robberies over the past six months, and many victims had been punched, kicked and injured. Mayfair and Knightsbridge were hotspots where only watches were targeted, while a third of watch robberies took place around the West End's night-time economy.

The case

Romanian fashion designer and businessman Catalin Botezatu was surrounded by three men outside the Amazonico restaurant in Berkeley Square in January. They cut the watch from his wrist. He told the court he feared for his life because he had previously had a cancer operation and had five stents fitted.

Younes Djoudi, 34, was jailed for five years and nine months. Ali Eldahouzze, 22, received three years and six months, and Abdel El Habchi, 30, five years and six months. Djoudi admitted robbery, while the other two denied involvement but were convicted after a nine-day trial. The watch, a birthday present from a friend about 13 years ago, has never been recovered.

Judge Dafna Spiro said London ought to be a "safe city" and that robberies of expensive watches "undermine public confidence and damage the reputation" of the city.