LOOKBACK


On 7 November 2000, a gang of criminals stormed the Millennium Dome in a daring plot to steal £350 million in diamonds. The crime of the century was stopped by one of Britain’s most remarkable police operations


THE MILLENNIUM DOME HEIST: 25 YEARS ON


On a grey November morning in 2000, a gang of seasoned criminals believed they were about to pull off the most lucrative robbery in British history. Their target: the De Beers Millennium Diamond Collection, on display at London’s Millennium Dome. Valued at more than £350 million (over £750 million in current terms), the gems included the priceless 203-carat Millennium Star — a flawless diamond of rare size and beauty.


22 | POLICE | OCTOBER | 2025


Their plan was meticulous. Using a


stolen JCB digger, they would smash through security fences and force


“What the gang didn’t know was that for months, detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad had been watching their every move.”


their way inside. Once there, they would deploy sledgehammers, smoke grenades and nail guns to subdue staff


and smash the protective glass cases, before escaping by speedboat across the Thames. Within minutes, the jewels would vanish — potentially never to be recovered. But what the gang


didn’t know was that for months, detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad had been watching their every move. On 7 November 2000, more than 100 officers


were in position around the Dome, ready to strike. By the end of the day, the “crime of the century” was over before it began.


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