Police break gang of smash and grab robbers

Undercover officers swooped on the gang minutes after they struck at a north London jeweller's yesterday.

Six men on three motorcycles used a sledgehammer and an axe to batter their way into V Jewellers in Barnet.

Staff, including one pregnant woman, cowered in terror as the gang smashed the front windows and tried to break through an inner security door at about 4.45pm.

The men fled after an alarm was activated at the store just off Cockfosters Road.

But minutes later officers from the Westminster Crime Squad pounced on the gang as they met an alleged accomplice at a lock-up garage in Enfield. Two other men were arrested in a nearby car park.

The nine were also being questioned about a series of raids across the West End and London in recent months.

They are suspected of being at the centre of a "Fagin's Kitchen" of between 30 to 50 loosely connected individuals, many of them teenagers.

The gangs have plagued designer stores and jewellers in central London with lightning-fast robberies using high-powered and usually stolen motorbikes or scooters.

Many of the group regard themselves as virtually untouchable as police have struggled to arrest them.

Acting detective superintendent Simon Cunneen said: "These [latest] arrests are highly significant. We believe this group is part of an organised criminal network. This was an intelligence-led operation."

Police also carried out a series of raids on addresses in north London, mainly in Islington.

Those arrested are aged between 18 and 25. At least four motorcycles were recovered.

The latest figures show the gangs have struck more than 70 times across the capital since the beginning of the year.

They are believed to have stolen more than £4 million of goods in the past year alone, though much of the goods are believed to be sold on for a fraction of their worth.

Stores and businesses have demanded stronger police action to tackle the gangs but police have faced difficulty trying to arrest suspects.

Senior officers have ruled out police chases using motorcycles through London and detectives have found it difficult to identity the thieves because they wear motorcycle helmets and ride stolen bikes.