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Street in West Hampstead is hit by 20 smash and grab attacks in just six weeks

A shopping street in an affluent north London suburb is under siege from raiders who have smashed their way into more than 20 businesses in six weeks.

Stores along the B510 in West Hampstead, including Tesco Express and a fashion boutique, have been broken into with crowbars, boulders or concrete slabs. One shop lost £3,000. Police believe the crimes are linked.

In one of the latest incidents, CCTV shows an intruder hurling a large concrete slab through the glass door at Perfect Dry Cleaners before he and another masked suspect force their way into the shop and plunder the till.

The attack, which took place at 3am, is one of 14 burglaries or attempted burglaries that have taken place in the area since July 1. Police say there have been 22 incidents reported since the start of June.

Spate: Two raiders target Perfect Dry Cleaners
Spate: Two raiders target Perfect Dry Cleaners

Emad Ali, 44, who has run Perfect Dry Cleaners in Abbey Road for 10 years, described the criminals, who made off with £400, as “fearless”. He told the Evening Standard: “They could come back any time and no one can stop them. Even if the police catch them, what will they do? These people aren’t scared of anything.”

Victim: Keren Oaknin, of La Boutique Secret (Nigel Howard)
Victim: Keren Oaknin, of La Boutique Secret (Nigel Howard)

Hampstead Dry Cleaners, in Fortune Green Road, had its window shattered in one of two burglaries on June 16 and July 2. In total, the thieves made off with £3,000 cash.

Owner Hemen Osman told the Standard: “They used a stone weighing more than 15kg to break the glass and the door. You don’t feel safe when something like this happens.

“I’ve ordered shutters now which have cost £4,000 so I am £7,000 out of pocket, which is a lot for a small business.”

He added: “I have three children, and I work long hours every day, but I just have to accept it and continue.”

Ramco Pharmacy, in West End Lane, had its window smashed with a 30cm diameter boulder on July 4. Thieves made off with items from the shop but did not steal any medicine.

Rory Drysdale, duty manager at The Gallery (Nigel Howard)
Rory Drysdale, duty manager at The Gallery (Nigel Howard)

Keren Oaknin, 35, who owns La Boutique Secret, in West End Lane, said her shop was targeted at around 2.45am on July 6. She said CCTV showed two figures trying to gain access with crowbars, adding: “I feel really insecure, especially as this is such a safe neighbourhood. They are being very reckless because it is such a busy area with Underground workers coming in early.”

The same night, The Gallery bar, in Broadhurst Gardens, adjacent to the B510, was targeted. Duty manager Rory Drysdale said CCTV shows the burglar sizing up the outside before trying to break in. Although nothing was taken, Mr Drysdale, 24, described it as a “wake-up call”, adding: “Everyone needs to double check when they lock up.” Homes have also been hit, with one resident reporting a laptop and tech accessories worth £1,800 stolen. The resident said: “Someone broke through the PVC front window by taking a crowbar to the bottom and forcing it up. This was in the middle of the day and we’d just popped out.”

Hemen Osman with the boulder that shattered the glass in the door at his dry cleaning business (Nigel Howard)
Hemen Osman with the boulder that shattered the glass in the door at his dry cleaning business (Nigel Howard)

Tesco Express, in Fortune Green Road, has also been targeted, while charity shop All Aboard, in West End Lane, has had its windows smashed twice. Kammila Kasprzyk, 26, a beauty therapist at Vervena Beauty Clinic, in West End Lane, said the salon had its doorbell stolen on July 16. Burglars also attempted to break in on July 6, but were scared off by the alarm. “It seems to be happening a lot and one of our clients had her home broken into up the road too,” she said.

Ian Cohen, chairman of Fortune Green ward for the Hampstead and Kilburn Conservatives, said his business, Look New Dry Cleaners, in West End Lane, was hit on June 26. He said: “Businesses are now putting up signs in the windows saying, ‘There’s no cash on site, please leave us alone’. I leave my till in the front window.”

Raided: Perfect Dry Cleaners
Raided: Perfect Dry Cleaners

Sergeant Mark Townsend, who leads neighbourhood policing in the area, warned locals to be vigilant. He said shutters and high quality CCTV should be used where possible.

He added: “Police patrols have been increased to try to catch the culprits, with my local Safer Neighbourhood Teams working with CID to resolve this issue with direct action.”

The Met Police said there have been no arrests and it was investigating.