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Hunting the Rolex Rippers

Journalist Tir Dhondy explores the rise in luxury watch theft, meeting the moped riders snatching watches off the street, as well as a gang leader who runs a team of watch rippers.

More and more luxury watches are being snatched off UK streets. In 2022, there was an estimated 60 per cent increase in watch thefts worldwide. It is now the crime of choice for many criminals, seen as easier and more lucrative than drug dealing.

In this documentary, journalist Tir Dhondy gets access, for the first time ever, to the gang members behind the crime. She meets the teenage moped riders snatching watches off the street, as well as a gang leader who runs a team of teenage watch rippers and female watch spotters. Tir also comes face-to-face with the 16-year-old who used a machete to steal singer Aled Jones鈥檚 拢17,000 Rolex in broad daylight.

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28 minutes

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