Nine men arrested over Hatton Garden safe deposit raid

Officers investigating the Hatton Garden safe deposit box raid have arrested nine people, Scotland Yard confirmed.

Detectives from the Flying Squad made seven arrests on Tuesday morning after more than 200 officers raided 12 addresses in north London and Kent where they also recovered a large amount of 'high value property.'

The suspects, who are aged between 43 and 76 and are thought to include a father and son, have been taken to a London police station.

The Metropolitan Police later said two more male suspects, aged 58 and 43, had also been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle.

Searches at the above addresses are ongoing, the Met said, adding officers were confident the items recovered were those stolen during the burglary.

Police also released this image of a white van with the registration DU53VNG, which they want to trace as it was seen in the area at the time of the raid.

Head of the Flying Squad, Detective Superintendent Craig Turner said: "Did you see anyone loading or unloading a white van in the Hatton Garden area over the Easter bank holiday?

"So far we haven't managed to recover the van yet. Have you seen a van matching this description and registration since the burglary in Hatton Garden or do you know where it is now?"

Anyone with information that could help should call the Flying Squad on 020 8785 8655 or email opspire@met.police.uk.

The Met has faced criticism over the raid, particularly after it emerged that police did not respond to a burglar alarm at the scene.

Commander Peter Spindler said today: "The Metropolitan Police takes these types of crimes very seriously.

"At times we've been portrayed as if we have acted like Keystone Cops but I want to reassure you that in the finest traditions of Scotland Yard, these detectives have done their utmost to bring justice to the victims of this callous crime.

"They've worked tirelessly and relentlessly, they've put their lives on hold over the last six or seven weeks to make sure that justice is served. They've exemplified the finest attributes of Scotland Yard detectives."

Scotland Yard admitted that "procedures" around answering alarm calls had not been followed and apologised.

In a statement a spokesman added: "In this case, the owners had been notified by the alarm company and a security guard attended the building but saw nothing more than our officers would have done had they been deployed."