Quotes of the Day

Britain's biggest ever cash robbery, some $93 million stolen from a depot, prompted a huge manhunt last week. Local police first said the theft had been "executed with military precision." Really? Now it looks more like a comedy of errors. Future tips:

DON'T FORGET THE BLINDFOLDS:
Gang members posed as bogus cops to kidnap Securitas manager Colin Dixon and his family. But without a blindfold, Dixon was able to provide a composite image of the man who abducted him, whose beard (believed to be fake) was a different color from his hair.

DON'T LEAVE CASH LYING AROUND:
Possibly after realizing fresh bank notes are easily traceable, the panicky thieves dumped more than $2 million, along with clothes and firearms that may yield forensic evidence, in a van parked outside a hotel. A passerby alerted the police, who promptly swooped in.

EXPLORE STORAGE OPTIONS:
It took police less than a week to round up the gang's main vehicles, including two recovered in local pub parking lots and one car found still burning. Neither did it take long to pinpoint other items they used: 14 large steel crates dumped in a nearby field.

CHOOSE PARTNERS WISELY:
Police swiftly put up a $3.5 million reward to encourage loose lips. Some 400 people came forward. By Saturday police had charged five suspects, including 57-year-old millionaire John Fowler.

• JESSICA CARSEN
• How easy is it to spot the mistakes made by the perpetrators of Britain's biggest-ever cash raid?