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Burglars and crime gangs on warpath
Andy Tristem
Pedestrians have been mugged by gangs and shops burgled in a major crimewave.
The first mugging took place in Alpha Close, Lisson Grove, when a Japanese man was mugged by three men in their late teens or early twenties.
The thieves grabbed his cash and sped off in a dark-coloured hatchback car.
The incident took place at 11am on Wednesday last week.
Detectives believe the attack may be linked to a attempted mugging five minutes earlier at Montagu Square in Marylebone in which three men tried to steal a laptop from an Australian man before escaping in a car.
At 9pm on the same day, a 24-year-old Arab woman, who police believe was followed from Oxford Street, was mugged at Lorne Close in Lisson Grove.
The suspects, a black man and black woman, pulled her to the floor grabbed her handbag and escaped in a car.
The next day, a 24-year-old woman had her handbag snatched by two black men in Park Road, in Lisson Grove. The woman resisted and received a blow to the head. She was shocked but was not badly hurt.
Detective Sergeant Sean Yates, from the Marylebone Robbery Squad, said the muggings may be a "blip".
But he warned: "We are trying to establish what gangs are involved.
"Someone may have been released from prison or become too well known on their own patch and is therefore targeting the area.
"We may be talking about a black gang and a white gang. We sent out a surveillance team over the weekend but there were no more incidents."
Mugging victim Marjatta Bell, 60, of Hill Road, whose handbag was stolen during a spate of mugging four years ago, said: "It is a great shame if this is starting up again.
"It leaves people feeling very vulnerable."
The attacks follow a series of incidents the previous week involving Japanese nationals.
The Japanese embassy is so alarmed about the attacks that it has issued a warning on its website.
The warning says: "We strongly advise all staff to take the greatest of care travelling to and from the (St John's Wood) station or home.
"If at all possible, avoid walking home alone from the station. Be vigilant at all times and be aware of suspicious individuals following you.
"Avoid poorly lit and empty areas, especially at night."
The embassy reports that a gang of three criminals attacked a man as he walked home from Swiss Cottage tube station on January 18. He was surrounded and a knife was thrust at him. The gang took his wallet.
The next evening, a Japanese man was mugged by two men in Tichfield Road, in St John's Wood.
The embassy say he was injured after being violently punched and kicked. He suffered eye injuries.
Shops in St John's Wood high street have also been hit by a series of burglaries.
On Tuesday last week, thieves broke into a cash till at Gilbert Book Shop newsagent in Circus Road.
Two days earlier, a gang tried to smash through a shop window at Bruno Executive Menswear, in St John's Wood High Street.
Shortly afterwards, a group of men tried to smash a shop window at Joseph's womenswear shop.
Westminster Councillor Audrey Lewis, whose ward is Bryanston and Dorset Square, said: "People can make a big difference when this type of thing happens by keeping their eyes and ears open.
"Anything suspicious should be reported to the police."
andy.tristem@hamhigh.co.uk
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