Police warn over spike in Asian gold robberies
Almost 20 thefts of Asian gold have been reported in two areas in the space of a year, prompting a police crackdown on the crimes.
Undercover operations and targeted patrols will be carried out by police who fear the recent rise in temperatures could spark more crimes with necklaces and bangles more visible, rather than being hidden away under heavy coats and scarves.
And with the Asian wedding season under way and a higher attendance at mosques for Ramadan ahead of Eid, officers are stressing the importance of wearing jewellery discreetly.
The force highlighted the Blakenhall area of Wolverhampton as one of a number of communities across the county which has seen a rise in robberies of this type.
It has seen 12 incidents in the last 12 months. Another seven have been recorded in West Bromwich town centre in the same period.
Superintendent Paul Drover, the force lead for tackling Asian gold theft, said: "We want people to think twice about openly wearing valuable and irreplaceable jewellery that can easily be snatched and stolen by opportunistic thieves.
"There are people out there who are on the lookout for soft targets and the easier it is for them to be able to get their hands on your jewellery, sadly, the more likely they are to take the chance and steal it.
"But people can reduce this risk by keeping jewellery out of sight ? by being discreet and perhaps thinking about storing those items securely at home in a safe, or in a safety deposit box at their bank instead.
"We're doing all we can to stop Asian gold thieves in their tracks and with data from previous years suggesting this anticipated rise, we'll be putting a range of plans in place to try and stop the same thing happening again this summer."
Local neighbourhood teams are working in their areas to issue crime prevention advice to members of the Asian community ? specifically women, who are often targeted.
Leaflets are being distributed in English, Punjabi and Urdu to ensure the warning gets out to as many vulnerable people as possible.
The Soho area of Birmingham, the Southside, Lozells, east Handsworth, Springfield and Sparkbrook areas of the city have also been highlighted as robbery hotpots.
