at the point of a knife

jamie buchan

This was a particularly brazen attack on one of the world’s bestknown hotels.

The thieves struck at a time when the venue was bustling with guests and staff, getting ready to go about their daily routine.

And it was right in the middle of the second Gleneagles International Pro-Am, a three-day event that is guaranteed to bring in an international audience.

In fact, its hard to think of a time when the hotel would have been more busy.

However, this gang clearly didn’t care how many eyes were on them.

Their plan was to simply drive in, threaten staff and speed off with a stash of expensive watches.

What happened when they left the hotel remains a mystery.

It seems unlikely they boarded a train, but for police that remains an inquiry that can’t be ruled out yet.

Throughout the afternoon, there was an element of dark humour at the hotel, with guests joking about daylight robbery at Gleneagles “have you seen the price of their teacakes?” – but it’s important not to forget how terrifying this ordeal would have been for the jewellery shop staff.

And because Gleneagles is well known throughout the world, pressure will now be on Police Scotland to bring this gang to justice as quickly as possible.

The force will be pulling out all the stops for this one.

Armed police officers and search dogs were called to the hotel as the search for the armed robbers continued.