A man has been convicted after attempting to steal a luxury watch from two undercover police officers during a covert operation targeting street robberies in London.
Yakob Harket, 21, was caught as part of a Metropolitan Police operation aimed at tackling watch thefts in high-risk areas. The incident occurred on the evening of October 10 last year on Hays Mews in Mayfair, west London. The officers, who were working undercover and posing as a couple with their arms linked, were walking past a parked vehicle when Harket approached from behind and attempted to snatch a high-value watch from the female officer’s wrist.
CCTV footage captured the moment Harket made his move. However, both officers quickly intervened, preventing him from fleeing with the stolen item. Additional officers then arrived on the scene to help detain him. Harket and another man, Mohamed Naas, 34, were arrested shortly after the attempted robbery.
Harket, who has no fixed address, pleaded guilty to robbery. Naas, of Jamaica Road, Southwark, was found guilty of the same charge following a trial. Both men are scheduled to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on June 2.
The attempted theft was part of a broader police operation conducted across London in areas known for high rates of watch robberies, including Mayfair, Soho, South Kensington, and Chelsea, throughout late 2022 and 2023.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police stated: “Tackling violent crime in all its forms is one of the Met’s top priorities. We are committed to reducing the number of robberies taking place across the capital. Both uniformed and plain clothes officers proactively patrol robbery hotspots not only to respond to crimes as they happen, but more importantly, to deter and prevent these offences from occurring in the first place.”
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