Berkley Square crime-wave: Visitors rent personal safety as Rolex rippers and ram raiders goal Mayfair hotspot the place crime price is 30 instances greater than remainder of London – as locals declare they’re ‘simple prey for scum’

With its abundance of elegant Georgian townhouses owned by the aristocracy, Berkeley Square was once the epitome of an upper class old money haunt in the heart of Mayfair.

But since the 1960s, the once quiet square where nightingales supposedly sang began to be known more for its nightlife.

And now the area around the square has become one of the worst in the capital – and therefore in Europe – for robberies and street crime with official figures suggesting you are THIRTY times more likely to be a victim of crime here than elsewhere in London.

The driver of this disturbing trend is thought to be Berkeley Square’s allure to a new crowd of wealthy visitors, many from overseas, who flaunt wealth status symbols which in turn attracts thieves.

The visible symbols of this trend were everywhere in the Square when the Daily Mail visited this week – from a purple Lamborghini parked on double yellow lines to the £100,000 bejewelled Swiss watches flaunted on bared wrists.

And it is this cash-rich clientele who are the repeat targets of ‘Rolex-ripper’ thieves – who just last week mugged a Hollywood fashion designer for his ultra rare £2million Richard Mille.

A 33-year-old man has since been charged over the theft of 59-year-old ‘designer to the stars’ Catalin Botezatu’s timepiece.

And two Algerian thieves were jailed in July for five years after targeting undercover police officers posing as a wealthy couple wearing high-end watches.

Shocking footage showed Yakob Harket, 21, snatch a fake Patek Philippe rose gold watch from the female officer, before he and his accomplice were snared.

But there are many more thefts that go unsolved, with the latest shocking police data showing around 115 robberies per 1,000 residents in the local area.

By contrast, London’s overall robbery rate is about 3.7 per 1,000 people over the same period of December 2024 – November 2025 – a 30-fold differential.

Thefts and robberies, especially targeting mobile phones, have tripled over a recent four-year period across London’s West End, with tens of thousands of reported cases and the area around Mayfair and St James’s particularly hit.

Some have even resorted to hiring private security with them on visits to the area.

One local chef told the Daily Mail: ‘You get the super wealthy types from Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. They come with private security now, they won’t risk it.’

Local resident Katerina Bates, 39, a full-time mother, told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s become a total circus here in recent years.

‘You can’t move through the streets on the weekend without pushing past escorts and drunk customers.

‘The whole place is like a nightclub. It’s so tacky.

‘I have my husband so I feel safe. Our security is good. But drunk people come unstuck, especially after a few hours in the clubs.

‘It’s easy prey for scum from certain places.’

There is a greater police presence on the square than in recent years and patrons are advised not to congregate on the street if they are smoking.

Marching Powder star Danny Dyer, 48, was spotted previously enjoying a cigarette after leaving Sexy Fish during a visit by the Daily Mail.

The eatery, where a wagyu steak costs £116, is also known for rejecting pop star Jess Glynne after she arrived there wearing a hoodie and trainers.

Businesses have also been the target of thieves.

Raiders ploughed a car into the front of Phillips auction house in May in a suspected attempt to steal a Damian Hirst artwork.

The vehicle was abandoned and glass was left scattered on the pavement outside the venue, which boasts round the clock security.

Nearby jewellery shops remove their stock of Rolexes and Cartiers from windows after shutting up shop for the night.

One shop worker said: ‘We cant take our eye of the ball for a minute around here. 

‘There’s more people looking to take the p**s than there are punters.

‘If things don’t change it will become a s**t hole.’

James Bore, a chartered security professional at Bores Group, urged pedestrians to stay alert and keep watches and phones hidden away.

He said: ‘Don’t have your phone walking around, don’t stare at it.

‘Do not appear like an easy target because you are distracted.

‘If you don’t seem like an easy target, they will go after someone who is.

‘Look out for unusual behaviour. If someone is going to rip your Rolex off it’s because they have watched you and have seen you have something worth stealing.’

In February last year alone, 2,097 thefts were recorded in the West End, which includes some of the capital’s most exclusive areas including Mayfair, Fitzrovia, Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street.

The problems plaguing Berkeley Square are not limited to robberies alone.

In October squatters took over a former Michelin-starred restaurant and club there previously frequented by A-listers such as Pippa Middleton and Lindsay Lohan.

Morton’s, originally built as the private home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 1820s went on to host VIP events attended by celebrities and socialites.

But during the pandemic, the club at 28 Berkeley Square went into administration and the Grade Il listed building remained vacant, until unwanted guests claimed squatters rights.

London remains Europe’s phone theft capital with around 80,000 devices stolen each year – amounting to one every six minutes.

Just over 1 per cent of phone thefts result in a charge or conviction in the capital, according to the Met Police’s data, compared with 11 per cent for robberies.

Westminster City Council was contacted for comment.