London café owners' torment as burglars strike four times in eight months

Community support: Barbara Antelmi with her partner Roberto Franci
Barbara Antelmi
Hannah Al-Othman10 September 2016
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Customers have rallied in support of a beloved London café after it was targeted by burglars four times in just eight months.

Olive Delicatessen has been in Munster Road, Fulham, for the past eight years, but since January the business has suffered repeated break-ins which have seen callous thieves steal staff tips, bottles of wine and cash from tills.

Barbara Antelmi, 44, who runs the deli with her partner 49-year-old Roberto Franci, said she has no idea why Olive has been singled out by thieves.

She told the Standard the first break-in happened in January, when burglars stole the day's takings.

Ms Antelmi said that after each burglary they have tried to secure the building - but the criminals have found a different way to gain access.

Targeted by burglars: Olive Delicatessen in Fulham
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She said the shop has installed CCTV and barred windows, but somehow the thieves have still managed to strike again and again.

"To come in the morning and find the same thing has happened, that's been desperately sad," she told the Standard.

"We're being targeted for no reason at all. Maybe because they could get in once they've tried again.

"We're nice people, we work 15 hours a day, we live and work in Fulham, it's hard running a business, it's what we don't need."

However, she said that despite the upset caused by the burglaries, she and her partner have been heartened by the positive response from the local community.

A loyal customer who visited the shop the day after the most recent burglary and found it closed set up a crowdfunding page to pay for better security, which has since attracted a flood of donations from members of the public.

Ms Antelmi said she and her partner, the deli's chef who is "the one responsible for all the lovely food", plan to spend the money on an alarm system and more bars for the windows.

"One morning we couldn't open because of the break-in," Ms Antelmi said.

"Our customers said they were concerned we might move from here and didn't want us to go.

"I was really happy that they were so concerned, that they moved to help us, we never asked for it.

"I'm very grateful, we've got a good relationship with our customers, but I didn't expect this."

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said four reports of theft at Olive Delicatesen had been made to police since December 15 last year.

Of the latest burglary, he added: "Police are investigating a non-residential burglary at a delicatessen in Munster Road, SW6, that was reported to officers on the morning of 9 August.

"Enquiries are ongoing and there have been no arrests at this time.

"Officers from Hammersmith and Fulham investigate."

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