Thieves stole £10,000 worth of designer clothes from Beales (Picture: Brighton Argus/Solent News)

In scenes usually reserved for the movies, a gang of thieves have managed to pull off quite the crime.

They got away with £10,000 worth of designer clothes from the Beales department store in Worthing – after posing as mannequins alongside real dummies.

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They struck as soon as staff and customers left for the day, leaving them with plenty of time to leisurely browse the aisles.

Sussex Police were left baffled as to how the gang managed to get into the store without setting off any alarms.


The alarm was only triggered as they escaped with their haul via the fire escape.



An assistant at the store aptly described the heist as reminiscent of scenes from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – where bad guys Harry and Marv plot to rob a toy store in similar fashion.

Beales is fitted with a sophisticated alarm system, with sensors that should detect movement, and would have ‘spotted’ the burglars had they tried to break in.

The brazen burglars are believed to have posed as mannequins (Picture: Getty)

‘It was only triggered when they left the store – it was a very well-orchestrated crime’, said the assistant, who asked not to be named. ‘They must have secreted themselves and pretended to be mannequins.

‘They probably dressed in clothes identical to those worn by the mannequins and stood there, not moving a muscle till the shop shut and everyone went home.

‘They took oilskin jackets, high-end designer clothes and the like. It showed incredible nerve – the store is equipped from top to bottom with sensor alarms and cameras.

‘They must have stood there with the mannequins not daring to move a muscle – imagine if they wanted to sneeze or had an itch they couldn’t scratch!’

A spokeswoman for Sussex Police said: ‘We are investigating after the break-in was reported at Beales store in South Street.

‘Clothing was stolen and the burglars left the store through the fire escape which set off the alarm. It is not clear how they got in.

‘Officers are continuing to investigate. Anyone who saw anything or has any information is asked to contact police on 101 or on Crimestoppers anonymously.’

A Beales spokesman declined to comment.