Burglary at Weikhard jewellers in Graz: Gang suspected, colleagues upgrade security
After a lightning raid lasting 90 seconds at Graz's main square, jeweller Weikhard describes the crime – and colleague Schullin warns of targeted surveillance.
Graz jeweller after lightning burglary: security glass breached, gang suspected
A perfectly circular hole, barely bigger than a saucer – yet sufficient for Graz jeweller Klaus Weikhard to lose numerous luxury watches in the shortest of times. According to Kleine Zeitung, burglars broke into his shop on Graz's main square just days ago. The entire operation took just under 90 seconds.
Anyone who assumed the perpetrators had used pliers or specialised tools would be wrong. "No," says Weikhard. "They simply grabbed them. You can see it clearly in our CCTV footage." These recordings have since been reviewed by officers from Graz police. At their request, Weikhard names neither the exact extent of the haul nor the damage sum – the investigation is still ongoing, and there is suspicion "that an organised gang was behind this".
Settlement with the insurance company has since been completed. What remains unclear is how the burglary was possible despite security precautions. "We actually thought it wasn't possible in this form. Now we need to think again about how we can upgrade," says Weikhard. Security glass was indeed used, "but even this can eventually be overcome". Break-proof armoured glass is difficult to use in everyday operation: "At some point it's not attractive anymore; we're still talking about shop windows after all."
Colleague observes targeted surveillance
For Hans Schullin, whose jewellery shop is just a few metres away on Herrengasse, the attack on Weikhard is the provisional climax of a development that has been ongoing for weeks. "We are noticing increased activity. People spying on us, from a beer garden, taking notes or even photographs." One person recently even crept up to the rear entrance door and photographed the door hinges in detail. "After that, we fitted this door, already a security device, with an additional grille anyway."
Schullin himself experienced one of the most spectacular robberies in Graz's city centre in 2015. An unknown man arrived at the door with a bunch of flowers – not an unusual occasion in jewellery shops. He was let in before business opened. Shortly afterwards, two armed men stormed in. "The robbery unfolded like a film. I had the feeling it lasted forever," Schullin recounted, saying he had to lie on the ground. He compared the incident to an avalanche accident he survived in 1996: "That time too, I was highly focused in trying to seize every opportunity." Years later, members of the so-called "Pink Panther" gang were put on trial for it.
Smoke screen systems and security personnel as response
Since then, Schullin has significantly expanded security measures. In addition to measures against so-called ramming attacks – where burglars initially steer a vehicle into the shop – a security officer is now permanently stationed at the entrance.
There are also less visible systems. As became clear in 2019 on Herrengasse, when passersby raised the alarm over a supposed smoke cloud: the fire brigade found no fire, but rather a malfunction in a smoke screen system. Such systems automatically flood a room with smoke in the event of a break-in – according to the then company representative Christian Haberkorn "at three metres per second". Haberkorn did not share the concern of some retailers that a burglar might panic and become unpredictable: "The system should be installed so that the smoke hits the person coming in and makes them turn back."
Source: Kleine Zeitung