Two More Arrests In Hatton Garden Jewel Heist

A further two men have been arrested by Flying Squad officers investigating the Hatton Garden raid, in which thieves made off with an estimated £200m in jewels and cash.

A total of nine suspects have now been detained, according to Scotland Yard - and in earlier raids, "a significant amount of high-value property" was recovered.

The first seven suspects, aged between 48 and 76, were held for conspiracy to steal, said Detective Superintendent Craig Turner, head of the Flying Squad.

The arrests were made as some 200 officers raided 12 addresses in north London and Kent, in what Det Supt Turner described as an "exceptional, complex investigation".

Four men aged 67, 74, 58 and 48 were apprehended in Enfield, while a 59-year-old was arrested in East London.

Two suspects were held in Dartford. They have been named as Brian Reader, 76, and his 50-year-old son, also named Brian.

A short time later, another two men - aged 58 and 43 - were detained, also on suspicion of conspiracy to steal.

A number of large bags containing high-value items were recovered from one address, and police said they were "confident" the property was stolen during the burglary.

The contents of dozens of safety deposit boxes were taken in the raid in London's jewellery quarter on the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

The thieves, described by Scotland Yard as "highly audacious", bored through the concrete wall of the safety deposit vault using a heavy duty drill.

They escaped in a white van with loot in wheelie bins and bags.

Police have released images of a van they are trying to trace as part of their investigation.

The Met has faced criticism over the raid, particularly after it emerged that police did not respond to a burglar alarm at the scene.

In announcing the arrests, Scotland Yard said in a statement: "We are now in a position to confirm that on this occasion our call-handling system and procedures for working with the alarm-monitoring companies were not followed.

"Our normal procedures would have resulted in police attending the scene, and we apologise that this did not happen."

Commander Peter Spindler defended Scotland Yard detectives from criticism, saying they had sometimes been portrayed "like Keystone Cops".

"They've worked tirelessly and relentlessly, they've put their lives on hold over the last six or seven weeks to make sure that justice is served."

Police said they were working with the alarm industry to improve the procedures and an internal investigation is under way.

Sky News' crime correspondent Martin Brunt said police can now hold the suspects for 96 hours, during which detectives will question them, then either release them on bail, or release them with no further action, or charge them.