The jewellery trade is facing one of its most challenging periods in recent memory. From violent smash-and-grab attacks to sophisticated after-hours burglaries, the scale and intensity of criminal operations have escalated sharply across the UK and Europe.

To understand what’s driving this shift — and what jewellers urgently need to change — The Jewels Club sat down with Jeff Hill, a security professional at Harrier Global, a firm built on deep operational expertise and intelligence-led protective strategy.

Hill, who advises high-value sectors including jewellery, shared a detailed analysis of where the risks now lie — and why the industry must rethink security from the ground up.

“The criminal landscape is evolving, and so too must our response.”

Hill opens with a stark assessment of recent events:

“In recent months, a series of high-profile robberies has sent a clear and troubling message to the jewellery trade: the criminal landscape is evolving, and so too must our response.”

What concerns him most is the change in tone:

From smash-and-grab raids carried out in broad daylight to highly organised after-hours burglaries, the tone of offending has shifted. The objective is no longer simply theft—it is dominance.”

According to Hill, today’s attacks are engineered to overwhelm staff, create psychological shock and eliminate any possibility of intervention.

Jeff Hill - Company Director, Harrier Global Ltd

“These are not opportunistic crimes. They are calculated operations.”

Across Hatton Garden, Manchester and Birmingham, Hill highlights patterns that point unmistakably to organisation and planning:

“Masked groups using sledgehammers and stolen vehicles… coordinated teams… military-style precision.”

He stresses that this is not random street crime:

“These are not opportunistic crimes. They are calculated operations.”

Offenders are studying store layouts, observing routines, monitoring social media and identifying security weaknesses long before striking.

And the risk extends beyond the retail environment.

“Jewellery professionals… are often targeted away from the shop environment.”

Hill is clear: the weakest point is often the individual, not the premises.

“Jewellery professionals—whether proprietors, senior staff, workshop managers or couriers—often have direct access to significant stock.”

He has seen multiple cases where jewellers were followed home or intercepted en route:

“In several instances, individuals were assaulted or threatened in the street for bags containing stock.”

“There have also been cases of couriers being intercepted after predictable travel patterns were identified.”

Then comes the most disturbing trend of all.

“The re-emergence of the so-called ‘tiger kidnap.’”

Hill does not soften the terminology:

“A tiger kidnap is a targeted abduction—often at a victim’s home—designed to coerce them into providing access to assets elsewhere.”

And jewellers, he warns, are especially exposed:

“Transferable knowledge… portability of assets… public visibility.”

A tiger kidnap bypasses alarms, safes, doors and shutters — by exploiting the human being behind them.

What Sets Harrier Global Apart

Hill explains that Harrier Global’s methodology differs sharply from traditional security providers:

“We don’t approach security from the perspective of a single solution — personnel, tech or alarms. We look at security through the eyes of the criminal.”

Rather than pushing products, Harrier begins with the client’s life — how they live, travel, work, store stock, and move between environments.

“We work to understand lifestyle and family arrangements before building a security infrastructure that ensures clients not only remain safe, but feel safe.”

Their process includes “notional targeting” — assessing a client exactly as an organised criminal group would, identifying realistic vulnerabilities rather than imagined ones.

Hill adds:

“By layering the right measures — alongside lifestyle adjustments and quieter interventions like internet purging, contingency planning, staff vetting and engaging local policing teams — we can disrupt and displace criminal interest.”

It’s security as strategy, not hardware.

Jeff Hill, Director - Harrier Global

“Security measures are often one or two-dimensional.”

Hill describes a consistent pattern when reviewing incidents:

“A quality alarm system. A highly secure safe. Perhaps CCTV installed several years ago.”

But these, he stresses, rarely constitute genuine security:

“While these components are important, they are rarely integrated into a cohesive security infrastructure.”

Criminal groups look for:

Gaps between physical and procedural security

Predictable routines

Unprotected residential addresses

Poor access control

Over-reliance on visible deterrents

Hill’s most important warning:

“A single layer, no matter how robust, can usually be overcome. A layered system, by contrast, increases complexity, risk and time for offenders.”

“Security planning must extend beyond the retail environment.”

This point, Hill insists, is where most businesses fall short.

He outlines the areas jewellers frequently overlook:

“Residential security for keyholders and senior personnel should be reviewed with the same seriousness as shopfront protection.”

“Travel protocols should be formalised rather than improvised.”

“Stock movement should follow risk-assessed routes and timing strategies.”

“Exhibition and trade fair attendance should be accompanied by appropriate transport security and accommodation planning.”

Social media, too, is a growing threat:

“Images of high-value pieces, announcements of travel schedules… can inadvertently signal opportunity.”

From both a B2B and B2C perspective, he says, a serious breach has long-term consequences — from trust erosion to supply chain disruption.

“The current threat environment demands layered thinking.”

Hill makes the case that real protection is not hardware — it is strategy:

“An effective security infrastructure is not a product—it is a strategy.”

That strategy includes:

“Physical protection… electronic systems… procedural controls… personal security awareness training… residential risk mitigation… regular independent security audits.”

Most importantly:

“These measures must interact. Higher-level criminals thrive on predictability and fragmentation. A cohesive approach disrupts both.”

The Jewels Club Take

The jewellery world is built on beauty, craftsmanship and emotional significance — but that same value makes it a target. Hill’s insights illustrate a crucial truth: security must now be treated with the same seriousness as inventory, staffing and financial planning.

The industry cannot afford a reactive mindset.

It needs layered security, informed staff, integrated systems and protection that follows the individual — not just the premises.

Preparedness is not paranoia.

It is professionalism.

Discover More

For jewellers seeking to review or strengthen security protocols — across retail, residential, travel or operational risk — Harrier Global provides specialist intelligence-led security strategies tailored to high-value sectors. harrierglobal.com