NAG and BJA respond to Hatton Garden raid

Michael Rawlinson, chief executive officer of the National Association of Goldsmiths (NAG) has released a response following the recent raid in Hatton Garden. 

The response, which was released on behalf of NAG and the British Jewellers Association (BJA), follows the recent robbery in Hatton Garden where raiders took, according to some media reports, an estimated £200m worth of jewellery from a safe deposit box company.

Rawlinson said: “This heist could seriously affect many honest and hardworking jewellers based in Hatton Garden, the London home of the jewellery trade.

“Given the long Easter holiday period many craftsmen, retailers and those in the trade use safety deposit boxes to hold their valuable stock securely.

“While investigations and assessments of the crime scene are underway, anyone who uses this facility, whether their box was tampered with or not, will not be able to use or trade the items they deposited for safe keeping.

“This could have an immediate and devastating effect on their livelihood. We hope the police investigation and subsequent insurance claims procedure will be undertaken as quickly and efficiently as possible so that claims for any losses can be processed and payment made as soon as possible.“