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17th April 2024 Issue no. 701

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Locks at the Tower of London changed after a burglar broke in and stole the keys!

The locks at the Tower of London, home to the Crown Jewels, had to be changed after a burglar broke in and stole the keys. The intruder scaled gates and took the keys from a sentry post. Guards spotted him but according to reports, couldn't give chase as they are not allowed to leave their posts.

The keys included ones to unlock drawbridges, according to The Sun newspaper. Thousands had to be spent changing the locks after the blunder but officials insisted that the Crown Jewels were never at risk of being stolen.

A spokesman at Historic Royal Palaces said: "We can confirm that an incident took place in the Tower environs in the early hours of November 6 and that this is now a police matter, so we are unable to discuss details.

"We can however confirm that during this incident, keys for a restaurant and conference rooms were taken together with a key to an internal lock to the Tower drawbridges that is not accessible from the outside. It would not have been possible to gain access to the Tower with any of these keys. All the affected locks were immediately changed.

"We have carried out an internal investigation and have concluded that our well-established security systems and procedures are robust. However on this occasion, these procedures were not carried out to the expected standard. A staff disciplinary procedure is under way to address this issue."

The Tower is famously guarded by the Yeoman Warders, or Beefeaters. A private security firm is also used at the iconic site.

14th November 2012