Surrey Police warned residents on Tuesday (November 5) after a spate of jewellery thefts in North Surrey.

Police said that a high number of thefts targetting homes in the North of the county had been reported since August, with Camberley, Frimley, Elmbridge and Runnymede all named as particular hot spots.

In an informative statement published on Tuesday, a spokesperson for Surrey Police said:

"In recent weeks a number of reports have been received in the Frimley and Camberley area. Since the start of August 2019 we have received 35 reports of burglaries or attempted burglaries targeting gold or high value jewellery in the Surrey Heath area.

"In the North of the county in the same period 94 reports have been received mainly in the Elmbridge and Runnymede areas."

Detective Superintendent Peter Fulton, who is currently examining the high number of jewellery thefts, offered further details of the police response to the situation.

"Proactive teams have been working with our colleagues from local neighbourhood teams to carry out regular patrols and to gather information which will help to confirm which of these reports may be linked," he said, urging residents to report "suspicious activity" by calling police on 101.

The detective meanwhile said that the prevalence of gold in the jewellery thefts was one theme linking the individual crimes.

Another was the targetting of the homes of Asian families in the communities impacted: "A high proportion of these offences have targeted Asian families," he said.

Detective Fulton revealed that many of the thefts take place in the late afternoon and early evening, urging residents to be particularly careful about home security during these hours.

"In the North of the county we have noted that many of the reports relate to burglaries carried out between 3pm and 7pm.

"I'd therefore remind people of our message to lock up properly and to leave a light on if they are going out because the evenings are getting darker earlier following the end of British Summer Time," he said.

The police also issued checklist for residents (reproduced below) in the hope that it might help prevent more jewellery thefts in the region in future:

  • Keep all jewellery and other valuables in a safety deposit box if your bank offers this service.
  • If you have to keep your jewellery at home, invest in a home safe. Your insurance company will provide advice as to the best safe to suit your needs
  • Keep an inventory of your jewellery, either on paper or via a company such as www.immobilise.com; include identifying marks and the value
  • In addition, photograph your jewellery against a plain background using a ruler to give an idea of size
  • Check your home insurance to ensure that it covers keeping high-value jewellery at home
  • Install a house alarm and security lighting. Always make sure doors and windows are locked and secure when you go out
  • Make sure your home looks occupied when you are out or away. Use an automatic timer switch to turn interior lights on and off.
  • Consider your privacy settings on any social media platforms and avoid posting about weddings, festivals or other celebrations, where someone may be able to identify that you are not at home or that you own high value jewellery.
  • Try to avoid decorating the outside of your home during religious festivals and events. This could attract burglars, as they may believe that jewellery or other valuables are inside the address.
  • Mark your property with a forensic marking product such as www.selectadna.co.uk