What can high net worth families learn from the Tamara Ecclestone Diamond Burglary?

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by Stuart Hall

The Real Risks of Burglary for High Net Worth Homes

Any home or family can be targeted by burglars, for high net worth homes you don’t just have to watch out for opportunistic individuals, you need to be aware of the criminal gangs (which in some cases are global) who will plan operations to target your home when you are away (Ecclestone/Kardashian) but may also attempt robbery while you are home (Ashley Cole)

The recent BBC documentary on Tamara Ecclestone highlighted that the robbery took place while Ecclestone and her family were in Lapland, with pictures all over her social media feed the criminal gang knew this was a great time to target the 22,000-square-foot mansion in Kensington, safe in the knowledge they were likely to be uninterrupted. It was a similar story for Kardashian who showcased her jewellery on social media, which set her up as a target.

The gang had targeted up to 15 of Ecclestone’s Kensington neighbours, they managed to enter the mansion using little more the screwdrivers and burner mobile phones. Thankfully due to the investigation these crimes were never committed, but would the security have stood up to the challenge?

The CCTV that was in place and around the neighbourhood managed to capture enough evidence and help with the police investigation, along with other footage pieced together like a large jigsaw puzzle.  It is just one of the many reasons we insist on a layered security approach when talking to our high net worth clients.

Investing in the right security cameras is paramount to providing evidence that can be used as part of an investigation, security cameras are also able to use AI (artificial intelligence) to help work out what is a threat and what is not, minimising the false alarms, this is reduced further in the hands of managed security.

Speaking on the documentary, Ecclestone said: ‘They are disgusting. Now I have seen their faces, it is kind of haunting in a way. Knowing that kind of person has been roaming around your house and helping themselves to my most treasured valuable possessions is just a horrible feeling.’

‘I feel like I can’t get those faces now out of my mind. Our lives will never be the same because there is always worry about the one thing I never used to worry about — being safe in this house. I worried about so many other scenarios and situations. I know there’s still one of them out there and that is probably one of the things that is really hard to deal with.’

With over £25 million taken in Britain’s biggest home burglary, even for the super-rich, it’s the irreplaceable sentimental items that cause the most upset, these things can never be replaced.

Investing in a first-class layered security system is the only way high-net-worth homes and celebrities can minimise the risk of breaking in.

Protecting the property’s perimeter gives you the best chance of deterring criminal activity, especially with a managed / monitored security system where trained professionals can alert the police and are trained to deal with real threats, depending on the property and system this may include alerting your own security team on site.

The second aspect of a good security system is the ability to capture evidence that will help apprehend the criminal gangs and maximise the chances of getting any stolen goods returned to you.

It often takes a scare or a burglary for high-net-worth individuals to invest in security, don’t wait, victims of crime always wish they had taken action sooner, sit down and talk to an accredited security specialist who understands the unique challenges HNW clients face.

Contact us here at Brook Security today for a discrete conversation about your security system requirements, we have specialist knowledge of working on HNW & Celebrity homes, London mansions, private country estates and listed and heritage buildings.