A HEARTBROKEN family has had their gold jewellery stolen by burglars as police warn others to beware of more raids. 

Police are warning residents to take extra care of their family gold following two burglaries - one in Worcester and the other in Fernhill Heath - over the weekend and early this morning (Monday).

The first burglary was reported to West Mercia Police on Sunday (March 19) at around 11.20pm, after a house in Fernhill Heath was broken into and cash was stolen.

The second report was received around 12.30am on Monday morning (March 20), where a property in Arboretum, Worcester was broken into and a large quantity of gold jewellery was taken.

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Detective Inspector Dave Knight said: "It is not uncommon for offenders who commit this type of crime to visit the location of properties beforehand and then return sometime later to carry out the theft. Please be vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour in your area.

"It is extremely important that when you are not wearing your jewellery you keep it in a safe location, ideally a locked safe or locked drawer, and to keep your home as secure as possible."

Anyone who may have any information about either incidents or may have captured CCTV or dash-cam footage, is asked to report it online quoting either incident number 008i of 20 March or 588i of March 19.

Alternatively, if you have information but don’t feel comfortable speaking to police, you can speak anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers. They never ask your name and they cannot trace your call or IP address. You can contact them online at crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111.

You can help protect yourself from burglars by following the below tips: -

  • Store your valuables securely in a safety deposit box or bank vault.

- If you have to keep gold at home, install a safe that meets British Standard EN 1143-1 and the police recognised “Secured By Design” standards. The safe needs to be securely attached to the building (ideally bolted to, or embedded in, a solid concrete floor).

  • Add other security measures such as CCTV, alarms and security marking your jewellery with a forensic marking product such as Smartwater.
  • Don’t advertise your jewellery or when you are away – don’t post photos of your jewellery on social media, and be careful mentioning holidays or extended absences from home
  •  When wearing jewellery for a special event, keep it covered until you are indoors and with people you trust
  • Keep wheelie bins and other items that can be used to climb into windows stored away
  • Invest in an alarm system - keep windows and doors shut and locked when not at home