Watch the moment two bungling burglars were caught red-handed after stealing empty cash registers from a Camden restaurant, only to be arrested while struggling to open them outside the premises.
Paul Haughey, 40, of Camden Road, and Jayvan Burton, 41, of no fixed abode in Camden, have both pleaded guilty to non-residential burglary following their failed attempt to rob the High Street eatery.
The incident occurred at around 6am on January 25, when Camden Council’s CCTV operators spotted suspicious activity at the restaurant on Camden High Street.
Police were quickly dispatched to the scene after receiving the alert from the CCTV operators.
Police were quickly dispatched to the scene
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The two men were caught in the act as they attempted to open the stolen cash registers outside the premises.
Detective Constable Michelle Andersen, who led the investigation from Islington CID, said: “Officers were very quick to get to the scene of the burglary, and were able to arrest both suspects before they could make off.”
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The burglars can be seen scarpering off
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She added: “Even before police arrived on scene, their criminal plan wasn’t going well. CCTV shows them trying and failing to open the drawers of the cash registers. But even if they had have managed that, they’d have found them to be completely empty.”
Following their arrest, both men appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on January 27, where they entered guilty pleas.
Haughey is due to be sentenced at the same court on February 18.
Burton will face sentencing at Wood Green Crown Court, though his date is yet to be confirmed.
Sadiq Khan is grappling with an epidemic of burglaries in London
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The incident comes as Camden faces one of the highest crime rates in London, with theft being particularly prevalent in the borough.
Recent figures show Camden recorded 64,000 theft cases out of 144,495 total reported crimes between 2021 and 2024.
The borough has the second-highest crime rate in London at 582.6 per 1,000 people, behind only Westminster.
Across the capital, shoplifting reached record levels in 2023 with 67,062 offences recorded, while 2024 is set to surpass these figures.
