Met Commissioner joins officers on dawn raids targeting suspects wanted for violent robberies and burglaries across north London
Met Commissioner joins officers on dawn raids targeting suspects wanted for violent robberies and burglaries across north London.
A total of three warrants were executed at properties in Camden on Tuesday, 7 April and three men were arrested on suspicion of burglary.
The warrants form part of long-running investigation led by detectives from three of the Met’s neighbouring Basic Command Units (BCUs), supported by the Flying Squad.
The investigation was launched following a number of offences committed over the space of four months. In each case the suspects either targeted people on their driveway in an attempt to steal their high-value watches, or they targeted safes located within vacant premises containing high-value jewellery. During course of most offences, victims were threatened with weapons including knives, batons, hammers and axes.
The linked series of offending started in November 2019 and between then and March offences took place in the Met’s Central North (Camden and Islington), North (Enfield and Haringey) and North West (Brent, Barnet and Harrow) BCUs. All of these BCUs have worked over the course of several months, with the support of Flying Squad detectives, to identify and target the individuals wanted in connection with these crimes.
The Commissioner accompanied officers as they carried out a series of warrants at three residential addresses in Camden and Islington. Those arrested had been linked to one particular incident in this series of offences – a burglary which took place in Courtleigh Avenue, Barnet on 24 November 2019. The suspects forced entry into a vacant property, ripped a safe out of the wall and threw it through a window into the garden before fleeing the scene with it. The safe contained thousands of pounds worth of jewellery.
Detectives investigating the offence identified three suspects who were targeted in these particular warrants. Searches were carried out at the following addresses:
George Mews, Camden, NW1
Thornhill Road, N1
Chester Road, London, N19
A 24-year-old man [A] and two 29-year-old men [B & C] were arrested on suspicion of burglary. They have been taken to a north London police station where they remain in custody.
Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner Cressida Dick said:
"Even during this hugely challenging time for us all I want to reassure the public that the Met remains utterly committed to providing an excellent service to London.
"We are here. We will continue to serve our communities across the capital and remain focused on our number one priority – reducing violent crime on the streets of London.
"This investigation is an excellent example of how officers across the Met are working together to identify those intent on carrying out audacious offences, putting the lives of innocent members of the public at risk. Rest assured operations of this nature are taking place across London on a daily basis.
"The Met is a big, resilient organisation and we remain in a strong position to respond to the challenges posed by Coronavirus, whilst still focusing on what matters most to Londoners. Officers and staff across the Met are getting on with what we are here to do. The police are here for you and we will do everything we can to keep you safe, arrest those intent on committing crime, and ensure you do not become a victim of crime.
"I am grateful to the public and our partners for their continued support throughout these unprecedented times, and to officers and staff across the Met for continuing to provide the best possible service to London."
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