Well I have heard this "the police won't give chase if they remove their helmets" line a few times. If it is indeed true and they stop for fear of the thief dying, surely they have this round the wrong way (as usual with our pussy footed 'justice' system).
They need to be changing that bit of legislation then, if they're willing to steal expensive belongings and/or kill people we should be glad if they get splattered under a bus!
And as for someone mentioning that it's unlikely they'll be targeting watches, I'd say it's getting increasingly likely by the day with the inflated value of these things! It's kind of surprising it's taken this long for people to say don't wear xyz. Trouble with Rolex is they are a pretty effective currency, you're effectively saying "I have £10k here on me"
But it's the wrong attitude we have in this country, it should be carry on and the authorities will come down hard on these scum. Instead it'll be don't wear your watch. Trouble with this attitude is a thief will then be looking at nicking 10 phones instead of a Rolex, it doesn't stop them stealing if that's their trade.
And god forbid if you're a bit handy and kick the crap out of a thief demanding your Rolex! You'll be inside faster than the police can say "would you like to press charges mr thief?"