Last year saw the largest burglary in English legal history, now known as the Hatton Garden Heist. An estimated £14m worth of Jewellery and valuables were stolen during the Easter weekend of 2015 in a meticulously planned break-in by a gang of thieves.

Six men were found guilty of involvement in the Hatton Garden safe deposit raid and were jailed for a total of 34 years between them.

The security guards locked the vault in the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Company at 6pm on the Thursday evening, expecting the building to remain empty over the long bank holiday weekend until Tuesday morning.

However, the thieves posed as workmen carrying out vital maintenance over the quiet holiday weekend, dressed in high visibility clothing and overalls.

The group used a drill to bore a hole 20in deep, 10in high and 18in into the wall of a vault in London’s jewellery quarter and then ransacked 73 safety deposit boxes.

Judge Christopher Kinch QC stated: “The burglary of the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit vault in April 2015 has been labelled by many – including some defendants and advocates in this case – as the biggest burglary in English legal history.

“Whether that assertion is capable of proof, I do not know. However, it is clear that the burglary at the heart of this case stands in a class of its own in the scale of the ambition, the detail of the planning, the level of preparation and the organisation of the team carrying it out, and in terms of the value of the property stolen.

“I identify this case as involving greater harm than in the guidelines. The loss is on an unprecedented scale. The safety deposit box company went into administration and its reputation was never the same again.”

Due to the nature of the safe deposit box industry, some people do not want others to know what they are keeping in them so it may never be known how much was actually taken in the raid – but a conservative estimate has put the value of the items stolen at £14 million.

Even the largest and most secure jewellers are still at risk of burglaries. Don’t gamble on your business, ensure you are fully protected today. Contact us to find the most practical and cost-effective insurance solution for your jewellery business.

 Even the largest and most secure jewellers are still at risk of burglaries. Don’t gamble on your business, ensure you are fully protected today. Contact us to find the most practical and cost-effective insurance solution for your jewellery business.