The Metropolitan Police launched a new operation to tackle the issue of Asian gold theft in London. The Met said Asian homes accounted for nearly a quarter of all burglaries where jewellery was taken and is urging people to take measures to reduce their chances of becoming a victim by using traceable liquids; to mark jewellery.
Home owners are being encouraged to be particularly vigilant ahead of Asian religious festivals. Police-led schemes using SelectaDNA to protect Asian gold have proved to reduce crime. One such example is in West Sussex where police have achieved a total reduction in burglaries of Asian gold over a six month period using the SelectaDNA marking product.
After a spate of more than 60 burglaries targeting Asian households in previous months, the new crime prevention initiative was launched by Sussex Police in March 2013.
SelectaDNA forensic marking kits were handed to residents in Crawley to mark their valuable gold jewellery so it is more easily identifiable if it’s stolen.
A forensic code marks the property and visible stickers can alert potential thieves that items within the property are marked, acting as a deterrent. The household and the items are then registered on a database, so if marked property is stolen and recovered, it can be returned to its rightful owner.
District Commander Chief Inspector Justina Beeken, who is leading the Crawley initiative, said: “Since the launch of the scheme in March we haven’t had any burglaries specifically targeting the Asian community. I am very happy with this result. The scheme is ongoing and we still have some more kits to give out. I want to encourage residents to do everything they can to make sure it is as difficult as it can be for thieves to steal from them, and these kits should really help that.
“Our aim for this operation was to go in hard, making Crawley a more hostile environment for thieves thinking about targeting our town. I am very pleased to say that our approach has worked.”
About Selectamark Security Systems plc
1 Locks Court, 429 Crofton Road, Locksbottom, Kent BR6 8NL. DNA Forensic Marking www.selectadna.co.uk
