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Smash-and-grab gangs spark alert
THRILL-seeking gangs are hunting out vulnerable terraced houses for smash-and-grab burglaries, police have warned.
Sgt Peter Ryan, of Kentish Town police, said houses with bay windows and basements were being targeted for bold daylight raids by gangs similar to those which terrorise shops and rail passengers with “steaming” attacks.
He warned: “People leave valuables in clear sight through bay windows. These young burglars have got so much bravado they’ll smash the window and climb in.”
Thieves have taken plasma-screen TVs, computers and portable electronic goods.
Crime prevention officers in Highgate and Kentish Town have warned residents about the thieves, who have targeted homes in Bartholomew Road, Patshull Road and Lawford Road. Sgt Ryan said the gangs saw burglaries as a way of making money. He added: “But they get a buzz out of them when they get away with it.”
He said the burglars were aged 15-25 and were often “known to the police”, having “graduated” from less serious crime and anti-social behaviour.
The raids have contributed to Camden’s dubious distinction of being the capital’s most-burgled borough. While break-ins have fallen elsewhere in London, October saw 445 in Camden, a 29 per cent rise on last year. The borough’s top cop, Chief Supt Mark Heath, has successfully lobbied Scotland Yard for more police to bring Camden up to strength this year.
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