Deterring Asian Gold Theft

THIEVES who target the Asian community for gold were the subject of an initiative organised by Thames Valley Police at the Aylesbury Mosque in Buckinghamshire.

As part of the scheme, Neighbourhood Officers handed out SelectaDNA forensic marking equipment which allows them to identify stolen property including valuable jewellery and gold items and trace it back to the original owner.

Local Neighbourhood Officer, PC Glen Crosland, said: “Thieves targeting people for gold is a problem nationally and we don’t want it to become a problem in Aylesbury. This is all about prevention and putting in place measures that can stop people from committing these crimes."

The SelectaDNA kits come with a unique marking substance which can be applied to gold, but also other items of value like televisions, iPods and games consoles. The marking is matched up to a specific barcode, and by registering their use of the kit people can have their details stored on a database. If a marked item is then lost or stolen, people can contact their local police station and those goods can be flagged on their account as missing.

PC Crosland added: “If someone tells us their property has gone missing and they have registered their kit then when we go on a warranted search of a property we can check and see if any of the stuff there matches up with what has gone missing, and if so we can return it to its rightful owner.”

Imtiaz Bhatti, a member of the local Asian community, said: "Gold is valuable and the little bit I do have I would like to protect however I can. I have not suffered a burglary myself but I have friends and heard of friends of friends who have suffered. I think these criminals are very organised and everyone should use one of these kits because it sounds like a great idea.”