In one sense, the rise of luxury crime in London feels inevitable. As the capital has reoriented itself around consumption and disparities in wealth have grown ever wider, the word luxury has become a kind of civic keyword — a mood, a lifestyle, a marketing prefix for everything from dogs to doughnuts, handbags to housing developments.
Now it has spawned a new category of fear. Not just crime — luxury crime. The kind that happens in Mayfair or Knightsbridge. The kind that knows the resale value of a Richard Mille watch (£120,000+) or Birkin handbag (as much as £250,000). The kind that inspires “lawless London” headlines and breathless social media commentary that “nobody’s safe” — and certainly no one who can afford a Richard Mille watch.
