Burglars target Asian homes in Bury

Reporter: Ask Bury
Date online: 05 February 2007

Bury police are warning Asian householders to take extra care to keep their jewellery safe following a spate of burglaries in the town.

Asian people traditionally invest in jewellery as a form of insurance against possible financial difficulties in the future.  It is usually stored securely in safety deposit boxes in banks and building societies and only taken out to wear on special occasions such as weddings and religious festivals.

Police are urging people to take extra care with their jewellery when it is in the home and to return it for safekeeping to a safety deposit box as soon as possible after it has been worn.

To safeguard valuables at home, householders are urged to fit and use deadlocks on all external doors and windows whether they are at home or away.  A quality burglar alarm will also help to deter possible burglars and should be activated when the house is empty or when you are in bed.  Keep all valuables out of sight and securely locked in an upstairs room if possible.

Close-up photographs of all your valuables will help identify and get them returned to you should they be recovered.  Unfortunate victims of this sort of crime can find that their insurance policy does not cover them for having so much jewellery in the home.  

Javaid Akhter, Community Liaison Officer for Bury police said: " It is important that people realise that the home is not the place to store your jewellery and other valuables.  The time that they are out of a bank or building society safety deposit box should be kept to a bare minimum.  You should not broadcast it is out of safe storage by, for example, wearing it around your neighbourhood.  Don’t put your future financial security at risk by making your jewellery accessible to burglars – get it in a security deposit box now".