Millennium Dome raid
Attempted robbery of diamond exhibition
The Millennium Dome raid was an attempted burglary of the Millennium Dome's diamond exhibition in Greenwich, South East London occurring on 7 November 2000. A local gang planned to ram-raid the De Beers diamond exhibition, which was held in the riverside Dome. The gang had then planned to escape via the Thames in a speedboat.
The De Beers diamond exhibition had many jewels on display, including the Millennium Star, a flawless 203.04-carat (40.608 g) gem with an estimated worth of £200 million (equivalent to £380 million in 2025) and considered one of the most perfect gems in the world. Also on display were priceless blue diamonds.
The attempted robbery was foiled by the Flying Squad (led by Jon Shatford) of the Metropolitan Police Service as a result of information from Kent Police Serious Crime who already had the gang members under surveillance for their suspected roles in several unsuccessful armoured vehicle robberies. The operation to foil the robbery was the biggest in the Flying Squad's history. At trial, the judge commended the way it was carried out.
If the heist had succeeded, then with a haul of £350 million worth of diamonds (equivalent to £665 million in 2025), it would have become one of the biggest burglaries in history.
Operation Magician
In the summer of 2000, the Flying Squad became aware of a significant armed robbery plot after receiving a tip-off.
“Millennium Dome raid” enters the record as attempted robbery of diamond exhibition. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Millennium, Dome and raid can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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