Criminals armed with machetes invaded the affluent West London neighbourhood of Chelsea, targeting Ferraris and £100,000 watches. Using key jammers bought online for £10, the criminals cloned keys to steal luxury vehicles before showcasing their exploits on the social media app TikTok.

Britain’s elites living in Chelsea witnessed armed thieves using both technology and brute force to seize valuable assets from residents. James Thompson, chair of The Chelsea Society, reported a surge in these machete-wielding individuals who target women for their valuables.

“We have had a spate of machete guys going for women and taking their watches,” Thomspon said to the Sun in an interview on November 17. “One happened right opposite, they said ‘if you don’t give us your ring, we’ll cut your fingers off.’”

Furthermore, TikTok videos that glorify the audacity of thieves flaunting stolen vehicles have been appearing. The circulation of these robberies recorded and uploaded on social media has been amplifying concerns. 

UK’s costliest locale

Various media, including Investopedia and The Week, have crowned Chelsea as one of the UK’s costliest locales. In March 2022, Kensington and Chelsea earned their place among London’s priciest neighbourhoods, with an average home price hitting the £1 million mark. 

Chelsea’s position is just below Knightsbridge and West Brompton as the top most expensive neighbourhoods in the UK. Tite Street is the priciest thoroughfare, with average home prices soaring to £30 million. 

A chauffeur from Chelsea, Asen, recounted to The Sun an alarming 2021 incident where his client fell victim to a knife-point robbery. Robbers sliced off the victim’s £100,000 Patek Philippe watch outside an upscale coffee shop. 

“They passed about two or three times, then all of a sudden they stopped,” Asen said. “One of the guys took the knife, faced him and said, ‘give me the watch.’

Asen explained that his client had “12 stitches after” the incident. He was also overcome with so much fear that he later sold off his entire £1.5 million watch collection.

Further plaguing residents, burglaries saw a woman lose £20,000 in jewellery and tech six months ago, with thieves methodically ransacking her home. The same victim also suffered car thefts, including a Land Rover accessed in 15 seconds using a cloning kit.

Chelsea’s crime rate on the rise

As of June 2023, Chelsea witnessed a total of 1091 street-level crime incidents. Violent crime took the lead, followed by anti-social behaviour, other theft, vehicle crime, burglary, and public order offences. 

The SW3 4LE area in Chelsea recorded an annual total crime rate of 90.5 per thousand population. The number made Chelsea’s rate a medium crime level.

London’s overall crime index for 2023 stands at 53.8, while its safety index is at 46.2. This suggests a nuanced pattern of crime trends in recent years, with certain categories improving while others worsening.

The city of London has also been grappling with a surge in luxury car thefts, notably seven Ferraris swiped from Kensington and Chelsea in July. Some of these thefts may be traced back to a ransomware hack earlier in the year.

Chelsea residents, wary of the rising number of car thefts, have been resorting to shielding car keys in metal containers. Furthermore, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has been providing help, which includes target hardening and enhanced security measures. For concerned residents around the area, consulting a professional security service company, such as Marengo, may also be considered to ensure the maximum safety possible.