The footage of the theft from the Napier Antique and Jewellery Centre shows it was a smash and grab with no apparent plan. Photo/Supplied
The footage of Tuesday's smash and grab robbery of $180,000 worth of jewellery is a wonderful illustration of the reality of theft.
The security camera footage, taken from inside the Napier Antique and Jewellery Centre in the early hours of Tuesday, shows a window being bashed in from the outside
before a hooded thief, whose facial features are unidentifiable in the footage, scales the nearby counter, scampers across the shop floor and loads the stock into a bag.
It takes less than a minute for the thief to steal $180,000 worth of rings.
The notion of a jewellery theft has a certain appeal in the popular culture pysche.
It is a crime glamourised by both Hollywood and the media and conjures up imagery of expensive suits and champagne, wit and intellect, daring heists and cunning capers.
