Thieves drilled up through a museum floor to steal antique silver in an 'audacious' raid, police say

• Thieves drilled through the floor of a museum to steal silver military antiques, local police said.
• The raid was an "audacious, planned, and targeted attack," one detective said.

Thieves drilled through the floor of a museum in England to steal silver military antiques in what detectives have called an "audacious" raid, according to local police.

The break-in is believed to have taken place between 2:40 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, detectives said, according to a police press statement.

Police were summoned after workers at the Royal Lancers & Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum noticed that a large haul of historic antiques were missing, Nottinghamshire Police said.

Detectives at the scene found, upon moving cabinets, that thieves had cut through the floor and layers of wood to access the silver cabinet, the police statement said.

They suspect the burglars first drilled a small hole to allow a camera to examine the display and then proceeded to cut a 10-inch by 12-inch hole through the timber floor and cabinet, the BBC reported.

In a video published on Thursday, Detective Inspector Luke Todd said the robbery was an "audacious, planned, and targeted attack on what is a wonderful, historic building," before adding that it was "clearly very well organized."

Among the items listed as stolen are a gold rosewater dish, the Hurlingham Grand Military Polo trophy, statuettes of mounted soldiers, and a cavalry trumpet, according to police.

Steve Cox, the museum's curator, was quoted as saying that they were "upset" about the theft of "priceless" items of historical value.

"It's disgusting that they've taken history from the people who have served and fought for this country," he said, per the police press statement.

Cox added they are "fighting back" and going to "rebuild from what's gone."

A police investigation is underway.

"Any small piece of information, no matter how minute it might seem to that person, might help us in pointing us out in the direction of who's committed the crime," Todd said, per the press release.

He added that the goods are so "distinctive" that they will be impossible to sell. They're also worth far more in their current state than if they were melted down, he said.

Nottinghamshire Police told Insider they had no new lines of inquiry at the time of publication.