It may not be daring as the attempted heist of the Millennium Star diamond from the Millennium Dome - an audacious Sweeney-style blag involving JCB, speedboat and nail gun - but at least the wags who lifted two PCs from Asia Securitex 2004 in Hong Kong appear to have got away with it.

Yesterday's snatch is particularly embarassing for the show's organisers since the whole point of the expo is to showcase the latest in crime-busting technology. As victim Shinah Lunty told the South China Morning Post: "If you can't expect good security here, where can you expect it?"

Quite so, although Hong Kong police inspector Bob White explained that a mainland China outfit was probably behind the raid since Securitex was viewed as a place of "easy pickings". Which begs the question: what do mainland China blaggers consider a challenge to their criminal expertise? Fort Knox take note. ®

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