Watch thefts worth £1bn across the country - as West Midlands sees dramatic rise
Thefts of watches in the West Midlands have spiked, with the number of timepieces lost or stolen continuing to increase.
Figures, released by The Watch Register, have found that watch thefts in the West Midlands have been rising since 2019.
In a Freedom of Information request, placed by The Watch Register to West Midlands Police, figures show that 81 watches were stolen or lost in the West Midlands in the year 2019.
However, in 2022, this figure jumped to 448, representing a five-fold increase in only four years.
A spokesperson for The Watch Register said: "So far this year, The Watch Register has already seen just over a 20 per cent increase in thefts and losses reported from the West Midlands region in 2023.
