Fresh video appears to capture another brazen burglary allegedly linked to a suspected gang blamed for more than 50 break-ins across London and the Home Counties.
Our News Outlet reported yesterday that masked burglary crews have been forcing their way into up to 15 properties in a single night, stealing high-value watches, jewellery, money, vehicles and, in some cases, entire safes.
The Metropolitan Police has faced criticism over its response to the alleged crime wave, which has focused on affluent areas since the beginning of September. The group is also said to include convicted offenders released early from prison under Labour’s early-release scheme.
CCTV and Ring doorbell recordings show three masked men forcing their way into a house in Muswell Hill, north London, before carrying away a safe.
In footage resembling other alleged incidents attributed to the gang, the intruders appear to use crowbars and sheer force to break through the front door. Their voices also appear to carry Irish accents.
At one point, one of the men appears to call another member of the group “Chris”.
David McKelvey, a former Met detective chief inspector who now heads private investigations firm TM Eye, brought attention to the alleged burglary campaign after warning that it may no longer be receiving sufficient policing resources.
Mr McKelvey believes the suspected operation involves Irish Traveller men working in at least three teams, each made up of three or four people. He said the crews may be visiting up to 15 homes a day, apart from Sundays, before returning to traveller sites.
Two men from a suspected traveller burglary gang are seen forcing open the front door of a property in Muswell Hill, north London
The men appear to rely on crowbars and force to break through the entrance, as seen in other reported burglaries
One masked suspect is seen leaving the house, apparently passing an Amazon parcel near the doorway
The Muswell Hill property was targeted at 6.57pm on September 18.
A 28-year-old resident, who lives there with his mother, received a Ring alert showing the break-in on his phone and contacted police. The suspects had left the house within four minutes.
The vehicle used by the men as they arrived and departed is believed to be a mid-2010s Toyota Camry, a model that is relatively uncommon in Britain.
The homeowner, who has withheld her name because of security concerns, said the incident had left both her and her son profoundly distressed.
“My son is autistic and I care for him. I used to feel comfortable leaving him at home by himself, but this has affected him so badly that I no longer do that,” she told the Mail.
“These men are completely fearless. They are not the kind of burglars people remember sneaking in to take a VCR. They force their way inside, whether or not anyone is home — including children or dogs.
“They are carrying out these raids early in the evening, when many people are still away from home. Pedestrians had passed our house only 10 minutes earlier, and cars were going by while the men were inside.”
The woman said two community police officers arrived soon after the burglary and spoke with her son.
However, she said she had heard nothing further about the investigation and accused the Met of treating the break-in as less serious than it deserved.
‘They provided a crime reference number and a leaflet, but I haven’t heard from them since. They didn’t even leave a name.
‘Forensics officers arrived 28 hours later, by which time I had already had to secure the property because the front door had been smashed open.
‘Everyone is scared. The police don’t appear to think violent home invasions are worth properly investigating.
‘We feel unsafe in our own homes and are left feeling like sitting ducks.’
Mr McKelvey believes the Muswell Hill burglary was carried out by the same gang his team is investigating.
‘They carried out 15 burglaries and home invasions in a single night and 50 in the space of two weeks,’ he said.
‘They were chased by police on Saturday night and have been lying low since.’
The men appeared in a car, believed to be a mid-2010s Toyota Camry – a relatively rare model
One of the gang running out of the house in north London carrying a safe
A close-up video still showing one of the men’s faces. He is seen wearing a face mask with camoflage patterning
The raids have been concentrated in affluent areas of north London, including Hampstead and Highgate, as well as parts of Hertfordshire.
Mr McKelvey suspects some gang members include men convicted of burglary after his investigators passed intelligence to police in 2022 and 2023.
At least two were subsequently released under Labour’s early release scheme and may be among the current suspects, he believes.
Two of the suspects are believed to have convictions for similar offences as recently as 2024, while another is thought to be a man who absconded from an open prison earlier this year, according to Mr McKelvey.
One of the first raids linked to the gang took place on September 11, when burglars broke into a Highgate property occupied by a mother and her children.
There were five burglaries or attempted burglaries in the Highgate area on September 30 and a further two the previous night.
Another break-in captured on video took place in nearby Grange Park, Enfield, on October 2.
The clip begins with a lone man smashing the front door four times with a crowbar, sending shards of glass flying. He appears to reach through the shattered panel to open the door from the inside, but fails.
A second man then appears and sprays the doorstep before being joined by a third. The trio take turns kicking the door until it finally caves in. A dog can be heard barking as they burst inside.
They arrived in a blue BMW fitted with fake number plates.
Mr McKelvey’s private security company, My Local Bobby, a sister firm to TM Eye, carries out residential patrols in many of the areas targeted by the gang.
In two cases, suspects fled after his operatives arrived, while in a third they ran off after being confronted by the homeowner.
Video stills from an earlier burglary believed to have been carried out by the same gang
One of the men that took part in the raid on a home in Enfield wielding a crowbar
TM Eye has linked the gang to six stolen vehicles. The group is understood to begin journeys in legitimate taxed and insured cars before switching to stolen vehicles fitted with cloned registration plates to carry out the raids.
Mr McKelvey has criticised the decision to disband the Met’s dedicated burglary squads to ‘bolster overstretched units elsewhere’.
A Met spokesman said when contacted about the Enfield break-in: ‘We recognise the significant impact that burglary offences have on victims and we treat offences of this nature extremely seriously. We are committed to identifying offenders and disrupting organised criminality.
‘Experienced detectives use a range of investigative techniques to bring offenders to justice. We regularly work with other forces to identify individuals and groups who commit offences across county borders.
‘Officers are actively investigating a number of burglaries and attempted burglaries reported across north London in September and October, assessing all available evidence and intelligence to determine whether the incidents are linked. We would urge anyone with information that could assist our investigation to contact us on 101.’
No injuries were reported in relation to the burglaries and there have been no arrests.
A spokesman for Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: ‘Every Londoner deserves to feel safe in their home.
‘Burglaries are down 31 per cent since 2016 and the Mayor continues to support the Met with record funding to boost neighbourhood policing, and help the Met to do everything they can to tackle organised crime and make London safer for everyone.’
The Met has been contacted about the Muswell Hill burglary on September 18.
