Pretty awesome robbery!hmm. not many robberys are, but this is!

[EDManual]

Armed robbers pulled off one of the world's biggest jewellery heists at a famed Paris store, making off with 85 million euros ($A170 million) in diamonds and valuables, officials said.

A gang of four thieves - two of them disguised as women - on Thursday stole nearly all the jewels on display at the Harry Winston boutique just off the Champs-Elysees avenue, which attracts a wealthy international clientele.

The heist was well-planned, a source from the investigating team told AFP. The men knew the names of some of the shop's employees and the location of some hidden storage cases for jewellery.

The robbers managed to elude the high-security surveillance system and burst into the boutique at 5.30pm, at the height of the holiday shopping season.

Brandishing weapons, they threatened some of the dozen employees and customers and herded them into a corner, while some of the staff suffered blows, according to investigators.

The US jeweller has reported losses to its insurer of 85 million euros, the Paris prosecutor's office said, making it by far the biggest jewellery heist yet in France.

Police said they were dealing with "major pros" who had meticulously planned their crime and knew the boutique's layout well, suggesting it may have been an inside job.

The thieves, who apparently were French-speaking, stuffed brooches, rings, necklaces and other finery in bags and quickly left, without firing a shot. The whole operation lasted just 15 minutes.

No leads were ruled out including the possibility that the robbers may have connections in eastern Europe, where the loot could be sold, contrary to western Europe where such high-value stolen goods would be quickly detected.

Police described the eastern European market as a "new El Dorado for traffickers" trying to get rid of high-end stolen goods.

Investigators were Friday questioning customers, employees and pedestrians and studying surveillance camera tapes for clues, while Harry Winston's head branch in New York said it was working closely with the French authorities.

"We are cooperating with the authorities in their investigation. Our first concern is the well-being of our employees," the company said in a statement.

The Harry Winston store on Avenue Montaigne, which specialises in ultra-luxury jewellery, was hit by another heist in October last year when armed robbers stole an estimated 10 million euros ($A20 million) worth of valuables.

An insurance company offered a $US500,000 ($A776,000) reward for information leading to the thieves' arrest but they were never found.

The Harry Winston jewellery chain has sold precious stones to royal families and lent them to film stars for events such as the Cannes film festival or the Oscars in Hollywood.

Belgium holds the record for the world's biggest jewellery heist when diamonds worth 100 million euros or more were stolen on February 14, 2003 in Antwerp.

A 1.8-million euro necklace was stolen in June 2001 from the Alexandre Reza shop in Cannes on the French Riviera, followed a month later by a 3.8-million-euro heist at a Van Cleef and Arpels shop in the same city.

Among other notable robberies, three Paris shops were targeted in October 2001 by a conman posing as a rich Kuwaiti emir who managed to make off with 2.2 million euros in jewels.

[SM1DY]

You'd think a place with that sort of loot would have armed security guards.

[RG]

Originally Posted by SM1DY

You'd think a place with that sort of loot would have armed security guards.

They do have Security but not armed, besides even if they were armed the SO wouldn't be able to do anything. Champs-Ellysees is that busy any gun fire would cause casualties.

[DoreSlamR]

I smell a movie brewing!

[SM1DY]

Originally Posted by Russell

They do have Security but not armed, besides even if they were armed the SO wouldn't be able to do anything. Champs-Ellysees is that busy any gun fire would cause casualties.

It's an image thing, like for example....In supermarkets when they say over the PA "Security to section C", there is no security in the store and there is no 'section C' its just to keep people aware that they are being watched.

I'm not suggesting that they have a shoot-out in a crowed room full of civillians. If they had weapons on them you'd think the crew that hit the store may have reconsidered robbing the store in the first place.

[Daymoe]

Originally Posted by SM1DY

It's an image thing, like for example....In supermarkets when they say over the PA "Security to section C", there is no security in the store and there is no 'section C' its just to keep people aware that they are being watched.

I'm not suggesting that they have a shoot-out in a crowed room full of civillians. If they had weapons on them you'd think the crew that hit the store may have reconsidered robbing the store in the first place.

Lol we figured that out when I was doing work experience in Bunnings, they had a security tape going, it would repeat every 5 or 10 minutes.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Stinks of an inside job....

Crap economy, less people spending, bank loans to pay, tens of millions in insured stock...

[pauljh74]

Originally Posted by SM1DY

It's an image thing, like for example....In supermarkets when they say over the PA "Security to section C", there is no security in the store and there is no 'section C' its just to keep people aware that they are being watched.

I'm not suggesting that they have a shoot-out in a crowed room full of civillians. If they had weapons on them you'd think the crew that hit the store may have reconsidered robbing the store in the first place.

For 85 million euros, I think they'd be willing to take on armed security. They may have gone in with a larger crew or gone in with more firepower.

[dave351cid]

american company feeling the hard times.......if you cant get a hand out or sue someone, the next option ...... insurance job.

[Feathers]

Originally Posted by SM1DY

It's an image thing, like for example....In supermarkets when they say over the PA "Security to section C", there is no security in the store and there is no 'section C' its just to keep people aware that they are being watched.

In the store I used to work in it meant that we'd noticed someone dodgy and that anyone who wanted some excitement could drop what they were doing and go looking for them.
Or at least that's what happened every time the call went out.

[SM1DY]

Originally Posted by pauljh74

For 85 million euros, I think they'd be willing to take on armed security. They may have gone in with a larger crew or gone in with more firepower.

I'm not trying to say that armed guards would be a deterrent towards this crime, it just seems that a store with something like 100+ million euros in stock would take almost every precuation to prevent this sort of situation.

[S3SR]

yeah they need security like that in the phillipines armed gaurds out front of banks with shotguns, id think twice before even going inside, let alone robbing the place

but then again even with some sort of automatic closing doors and tear gas, if it was planned and even an inside job the best security is useless....

[uranium_death]

I dislike the French, and really don't like aristocrats.

Boo hoo, so sad.

I don't condone the actions, but I refuse to care at the same time.

[dom_105]

Insurance job.

[Bent8]

I wonder who they'll sell the diamonds to?...

[Riksta]

Originally Posted by Bent8

I wonder who they'll sell the diamonds to?...

First guess would be Doug:

Everybody knows Doug the Head. If it's stones and it's stolen, Doug's the man to speak to. Pretends he's Jewish. Wishes he was Jewish. Even tells his family they're Jewish. But, he's as Jewish as he is a fu**in' monkey. He thinks it's good for business . . . and in the diamond business, it is good for business.

[RG]

Originally Posted by SM1DY

I'm not trying to say that armed guards would be a deterrent towards this crime, it just seems that a store with something like 100+ million euros in stock would take almost every precuation to prevent this sort of situation.

Trust me it wouldn't make any difference and most likely would have led to the death of the armed S/O. Statistically as an S/O you are more likely to be a victim of gun crime if you are carrying yourself.

For E85M an armed guard or 3 would not have stopped this.

[EDManual]

I agree with the article, i think it will be all off to eastern europe. Must have been some great planning involved!

Funny to think how it would be transported? perhaps in a grandma or 2s travelbags on a tgv to Lyon, then an english tourist picks up the bags in their hire 206 to geneva and through switzerland, where it meets ....

Certainly a movie could come of this if ever they figure out what happened!

[StAndArdAU]

Originally Posted by EDManual

Funny to think how it would be transported? perhaps in a grandma or 2s travelbags on a tgv to Lyon, then an english tourist picks up the bags in their hire 206 to geneva and through switzerland, where it meets ....

that or: 10 men, 30 condoms and... upon arriving at their destination, 10 very sore bums.

[Bent8]

Originally Posted by Riksta

First guess would be Doug:

Everybody knows Doug the Head. If it's stones and it's stolen, Doug's the man to speak to. Pretends he's Jewish. Wishes he was Jewish. Even tells his family they're Jewish. But, he's as Jewish as he is a fu**in' monkey. He thinks it's good for business . . . and in the diamond business, it is good for business.

Well of course!

[Cobra]

Originally Posted by DoreSlamR

I smell a movie brewing!

Can anyone say Oceans??

[ch33z1l]

Sounds like the first few scenes of 'The Marine'

[axeray]

When I heard about this I instantly thought about the Oceans 11, 12 and 13 series.

Amazing heist to walk in and out without being caught.

[Black F6]

Just wondering how many are still alive, that kind of coin, makes people very greedy

[burnz]

Originally Posted by DoreSlamR

I smell a movie brewing!

i was just thinking the same, the great train robbery come's to mind.