UK Watch Crime Unveiled: A Global Perspective from Canada

[@PaulThorpeOfficial]

Good luck with your Channel Henry!

[@WatchFanHenry]

Thank you so much Paul … hands down you are my absolute number one inspiration! I have been watching and commenting your channel using my JetFlix handle for a long time and love hearing everything you have to say. And decided to make a go of it with a Canadian perspective. Just last night I enjoyed your “Rolex AD Display Pieces Only Farce is Over” video. If you are ever passing through Vancouver please let me know.

[@PaulThorpeOfficial]

Thanks mate, I certainly will do! All the best.@@WatchFanHenry

[@GM-ii8gs]

As a British citizen yes, a UK resident can go to their MP about all sorts of issues including crime, in my experience the various UK police forces do take crime seriously, but I think if you go to your MP about your Rolex being stolen the MP is going to more focused on things like housing, education and healthcare for all of the constituents in that area, not that someone's expensive Rolex has been stolen. The onus in UK for us Rolex owners is as a first line of defense is not to walk around with your watch on display, second line is to have it insured, as unfortunately there are gangs especially in London which will target you if you are wearing a desirable watch, or any other luxury watch or expensive item such as a latest smartphone or an expensive handbag or jewellery. These gangs are frequently armed with things like knives and even machetes and often travel quickly around on electric scooters and mopeds, they are difficult to chase with normal vehicles and because they disguise themselves behind helmets face recognition software won't find them. So the UK police have for many years have 'stop and search' powers, where they can stop a member of the public on the street and asked to search them for offensive weapons or drugs etc, but there's been a lot of pushback from certain parts of the community particularly what might be called ethnic minorities that they're being unfairly targeted by the police because of the colour of the police. The problem is it comes down to the fact that the police don't want to be classified as being racist, so stop and searches have been massively reduced in recent years, but when a lot of these gangs do eventually get arrested and convicted and the mugshots are showing in the media, there does seem to be a high percentage from ethnic minorities, it's an issue which people don't really want to talk about in the UK because they don't want to be seen as being racist. While most people from ethnic groups are just going about their lawful daily lives and obviously don't want to be stopped and searched, which in fact I'm quite happy to be, perhaps they have to realise that there are bad actors in their ethnic communities which are giving a bad name for all members in their communities. But perhaps a way round the problem is to increase stop and searches, but to make sure there is an equal number of searches across all of the ethnic groups.

[@WatchFanHenry]

Hello GM, thank you so much for your in-depth insight to this festering problem that makes London Ground Zero for global watch crime. This new word “woke” seems to be appropriate to the situation you have explained here, sadly. The world has become far too politically correct, and doesn’t have the guts to stand up to the problem and face it head on. One thing that perhaps contributes to the brazen robberies that we’ve seen in these videos is the slap on the wrist punishment that the UK seems famous for .. if these criminals brandish weapons whilst inflicting violence on their victims, they should face many decades behind bars, and that’s where the pressure can be brought to MPs. The government must tighten the punishments for violent offenders. And yes, by all means the police should be able to search and should search the bags of all people looking for contraband and weapons. It’s just like going through airport security, everybody gets searched and that’s the way it is. Thank you again for taking the time to leave. You’re very insightful comments. I appreciate it.

[@jcwatches6573]

Canada generally is a better run country and has a higher standard of living. We need a change of government here I think. Public services are underfunded and the priority for the police is arresting protestors in general. That is the low hanging fruit. I hope the UK becomes a better place to live in the coming years.

[@WatchFanHenry]

It is strange because the British have had British common law going back hundreds of years and us Canadians only 125 years. The British have more experience than us in country management and running a civilized country .. but it just seems to be crumbling apart, with the lack of UK police willingness to deal with serious watch crime in the UK. I was completely unaware of this until I started watching Paul Thorpe’s videos on this subject. I too truly hope the situation can improve in the future.

[@jcwatches6573]

@@WatchFanHenry thanks for your reply! There’s an awful lot of corruption within the government these days. Much wastage of public funds. Brexit was a hammer blow economically. We have a government which is incompetent. There’s a long road ahead in turning the country around.

[@mrparlanejxtra]

interesting channel. These are no doubt a status symbol. Also quality and a statement of snobbery.. If it is telling time you want a plain Casio is what you need. I have a couple of these and they give me a lot of pleasure. There is no risk of loss. They are easily replaceable. What is the point of having thousands of dollars strapped to your wrist. Try wearibg a $30 casio. You will enjoy it.

[@WatchFanHenry]

This channel is indeed for people who like the brand, that is all I can really say. Most people don’t and are content with much less expensive watches. I would rather have an expensive watch and drive a 15 year old car that is paid for. It is not a out snobbery but itb s about personal life preferences, in my personal opinion.

[@mrparlanejxtra]

Fair enough. I also drive a an old car as I like Toyota reliability. I thought I would subscribe as the Rolex brand is a quality one. I enjoy watching ha a, watch restoration videos and have found many associated with Rolex. How they can make parts that small is incredible. @@WatchFanHenry

[@jabuhrer1]

“The Brits have come up for a nickname for the Rolex, the ‘Rolly.’ I don’t know of any other geographic region on the planet where the population has actually come up with a nickname for the brand. And that basically tells us that the brand is so well known in England, more so than in any other country…” Wow, I spit out my coffee laughing at this statement. Such confidence! “Rolly” or “Rollie” (the more common spelling) is an American hip hop slang term that has been rather widely known since the 1980’s. You almost certainly think it is a Brit term because you are more likely to watch UK crime dramas than to listen to rap music. That’s perfectly fine and natural, but that along with your third generation anecdote has led to some staggering confirmation bias here. The idea that Rolex theft in the UK has something to do with that country’s special relationship with the brand is, sorry, rather laughable. “Thugs” covet Rolex watches for the same reason they covet Lamborghinis and Air Jordan shoes. It’s not any kind of regional special knowledge or relationship with the brand but rather the opposite: they don’t know a thing about watches but any idiot knows that a Rollie (or a Lambo or a pair of J’s) is valuable and will convey status and/or fetch good money.

[@WatchFanHenry]

What you say is true .. it is my perception as a Canadian that the Rolex brand is far more ingrained in the British psyche then it is in the Canadian psyche. For example, the teams of thieves in the UK go hunting Rolexes (and other high value, consumer items as you well point out). You could wear a solid gold Rolex President into a McDonald’s wearing a T-shirt here in Canada and nobody knows that watch from a $50 Timex, this is my observation of 60 years living here. You may be right .. I get my information from UK TVs and movies from the as well as from KZbin where Rolex theft is an ongoing theme in the UK. I know nothing about hip-hop so if the. Rollie term originated from there, I wouldn’t have a clue. I’m just going from my observations and what I can tell you is that here in Canada we don’t have gangs of thugs roaming the streets targeting people in restaurants, focusing in on their Rolex watches (or any other items of high value that they carry on their person). .. this does seem to be a UK national phenomena, and it is just not the case here in Canada. So my observation that the Rolex brand is originally a UK brand going back to its founding over 100 years ago, might be a reason that Rolex watch theft is so prevalent in the UK. It’s all about my “perspective” .. Be right or wrong. It is my perspective.