My cafe has been burgled 50 times in four years – I don’t know how long I can go on

Surrounded by parkland and neighbouring tennis courts in an affluent corner of south London, Stephanie Morgan thought her café would be a safe little earner.

Instead, she is staring at a financial black hole and forced to launch a GoFundMe page after being burgled around 50 times in just four years.

Thieves have taken everything from alcohol to ice cream from Stephanie’s, her West Dulwich café, with the latest break-ins on September 16 and 18.

‘It’s been a nightmare,’ she told Metro. ‘Our cafe is near a park and they are getting over the fence.

‘They recently hit us twice in two weeks in one raid, stealing alcohol.

‘They steal anything; food, drink, and even furniture. Once they emptied a fridge of magnums.

‘They have trashed the place so many times. It’s difficult to go on – we are regularly losing our stock. I just can’t afford this.’

The raids have left her not only short of stock but also footing the bill for extra security.

Stephanie, who has built up a loyal clientele since opening in 2021, has installed multiple CCTV cameras, but criminals have cut the power or turned them away.

Police arrived quickly after the most recent break-ins, but Stephanie says without better surveillance outside the park and nearby West Dulwich station, offenders can make easy getaways.

She has asked the council to install cameras to help deter further attacks.

Images from the burglaries show debris scattered across the floor and broken furniture inside the café.

Stephanie says she has lost tens of thousands of pounds — costs that have pushed her to the brink of bankruptcy.

She added: ‘How can businesses carry on under these conditions?

‘It’s difficult as it is but things are becoming impossible. Other businesses in the area are also having problems with shop lifters.’

Her struggles come as London businesses face mounting pressure from rising crime. Shoplifting in the capital soared to 93,705 reported offences in the year to March 2025 — a 54% increase on the previous year.

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