Editing Knightsbridge (section)

== Crime ==
For centuries, the area was renowned as the haunt of [[highwaymen]], robbers and cutthroats targeting travellers on the western route out of London, but its fortunes were transformed in the 19th century. However, the area has been a target of several high-profile crimes.

In September and October 1975, the [[Spaghetti House siege]] happened.

In November 1975, two [[civilian]]s were killed by the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]] (IRA) in the [[Walton's Restaurant bombing]].

In 1980, the [[Iranian Embassy siege]] took place, lasting several days. It ended when the [[Special Air Service]] stormed the building, which was on live television.

In 1983, three Christmas shoppers and three [[Metropolitan Police]] officers were killed by an IRA [[car bomb]] [[Harrods bombing|outside Harrods]].<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/fromthearchive/story/0,,1376054,00.html "Bomb unauthorised says IRA"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160607205827/http://www.theguardian.com/fromthearchive/story/0,,1376054,00.html |date=7 June 2016 }}. ''[[The Guardian]]'', 19 December 1983</ref>

In 1987, the [[Knightsbridge Security Deposit robbery|Knightsbridge Security Deposit centre was the target of a robbery]] worth £60 million.

In 2005, 22-year-old [[beautician]] Clare Bernal was gunned down by her [[ex (relationship)|ex]]-boyfriend Michal Pech on the shopfloor of [[Harvey Nichols]] in front of colleagues and shoppers before Pech fatally turned the gun on himself. The case attracted extensive coverage in the media, and Clare's mother Patricia has since led a campaign to address flaws in the system, which allowed her daughter's murder to happen.<ref>{{cite news|last=Honigsbaum|first=Mark|title='He was allowed to plan my daughter's murder'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/feb/27/gender.ukguns|newspaper=The Guardian|date=27 February 2006|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510225456/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/feb/27/gender.ukguns|archive-date=10 May 2017}}</ref>

Many residential buildings are heavily covered by [[CCTV]] and are staffed by security guards, and railings or bars on lower floor windows are commonplace.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}