Thieves slip and slide on polished jewellery shop floor during raid

Video: Despite their clumsy behaviour, they managed to steal hundreds of thousands of pounds of gold jewellery

(West Midlands Police)

They may look like complete fools as they slip, slide and fall over the jewellery shop floor, but these masked-thieves have been described as "dangerous and desperate" men who are still at large.

West Midlands Police released CCTV of the moment a Mercedes car smashes through the windows of a jewellery shop in Foleshill , a suburb of Coventry, around 5:20pm on Thursday 29 January. Three men then run through the broken glass to begin stealing jewellery from Gem Jewellers, while a fourth robber exits the passenger car of the Mercedes to join them. The driver reverses the car out of the shop as the four men ransack the shop.

However, as cunning as they thought their plan was, the men had not accounted for the polished floor of the store, with the men slipping and sliding as they run around attacking the glass cabinets. Two of the initial robbers fall to the floor with a third thief almost running into them.

They all manage to regain control and use axes to smash the cabinets, stuffing the jewellery into canvas bags. However, they are forced to cut their criminal spree short when a smoke-generating security device clouds their vision and forces them to flee.

They did not leave in the same stolen Mercedes they used to ram the store, instead escaping in a white Audi A3 Sport TDI.

"This was an audacious raid carried out just as rush hour traffic will have been starting to build and there were lots of witnesses," said Detective Constable Lee Buckler.

"The raiders were masked when they committed the crime, but having stolen hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of Indian gold jewellery, their new found wealth combined with their unique floor moves will undoubtedly give them away.

"These are dangerous and desperate men who threatened to shoot a man who was passing the store at the time they raided it. The driver of the getaway car also drove dangerously through the streets of Coventry to escape the scene. These men definitely deserve to be behind bars."

Anyone with information which may help Det Con Buckler find the men responsible should call police on 101. Information can be given anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Video courtesy of West Midlands Police.