Newham police are warning the community to be aware of chain-snatch thieves. With the value of gold high they urge that if you insist on wearing valuable items wear them discreetly – keep them out of sight!

Snatch robberies can involve violence or theft. The chance that this will ever happen to you is quite small, but you should be aware of what you can do to keep yourself and your property safe:

? Make sure your jewellery is not visible keep it covered up

? Plan your journey in advance

? Avoid dark or deserted areas late at night

? Be aware of your surroundings and stay alert

Det Ch Insp Andy Furphy said: ‘We are asking people to think twice about openly wearing valuable irreplaceable jewellery. If you must wear it, we advise that you simply keep your jewellery tucked into clothes. It’s a sorry fact of life but what you possess may be attractive to thieves.

‘I would like to reassure our community we are actively driving down street robbery and we do have a number of tactics in place to ensure this new wave of incidents is eradicated.’