Highbury shopkeepers plead for CCTV after burglars strike twice in one night
Shopkeepers in Highbury Park have pleaded for CCTV to protect against burglars. Picture: Polly Hancock - Credit: Archant
Business owners around Highbury Fields are pleading for more protection from burglars after two independent shops became the latest in the neighbourhood to be hit by raiders.
Highbury Barn Barber Shop and To Be Established were burgled on Saturday. Picture: Polly Hancock - Credit: Archant
Highbury Barn Barber Shop and To Be Established, both in Highbury Park, were broken into early on Saturday. More than £5,000 of equipment was taken from the hairdresser’s alone.
Barber shop owner Paul Douglas, 41, said: “The majority of shopkeepers here are in favour of CCTV. I don’t know many shops that haven’t got security cameras inside any more.”
It comes weeks after a spate of raids on nearby shops, including the Highness and Little Highness cafes, which were not only burgled but also flooded in March. Owner Onur Goksu said: “CCTV would help us all feel more comfortable as there are a number of shops and businesses operating here.”
Staff at Café Rendezvous, a family-run firm opened in Highbury Park in 1999, discovered a shattered back window and a badly damaged rear door after arriving at work one day in March.
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“This is meant to be a good area, but things have been getting worse and worse recently,” said Ozgur Gulbudah, 29, who works there. “This street needs cameras.”
Islington Council said it had no plans to install cameras along the street. A spokesman told the Gazette: “Currently, there are no CCTV cameras along the road. However, there are some in the vicinity and there are likely to be many premises with their own CCTV.”
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Sallah Atallah, 25, and Omar Djabali, 27, have been charged with five and three counts of burglary respectively over Saturday’s raids.
Atallah has also been charged with two counts of theft from a motor vehicle and one of criminal damage.
