With London crime rates rising and established high street banks closing their safe deposit box facilities, it is difficult to know whom to trust with your most prized possessions. There is an increasing need to accustom yourself with options for safely securing your gold now Diwali is over in order to avoid allowing yourself to become a victim of rising crime levels.
Unfortunately every year criminals all over the country consider Diwali an opportunity to be exploited. According to Det Ch Insp Jane Corrigan, this is largely due to the speed and anonymity in which gold can be transferred into cash, which has made homes in Asian communities an ideal target.
A recent feature on the One Show highlighted the extent to which Asian women in particular have been targeted for their jewellery and become the victim of maliciously calculated muggings during the festival and have had necklaces violently ripped off their necks in broad daylight. The feature showed a considerable amount of beautiful unmarked jewellery that had been recovered from thieves but lost from their owner. The show attempted an initiative to reunite this jewellery to its original wearer however the chances of success seemed disappointingly unrealistic.
The collection of jewellery that had been brutally stripped of its sentimental value and reduced to its material worth was a potent reminder of the emotional affects this targeted crime has on Asian families, that can be too easily be forgotten behind sterile statistics.
Now Diwali is over there is an even greater need to consider safe storage options as London crime rates have increased considerably. Robberies are up 30.4% and burglaries are up 5.41% in the last year alone, arguably providing evidence to suggest that police cuts are taking its toll on our safety. In the last year more than £50 million worth of gold and jewellery was stolen in London, according to the Met figures and almost 3,500 of these offences were against Asian families.
Although some may consider purchasing a safe at home, it may be wiser to secure jewellery and gold in an external safe deposit box facility, in order to avoid making your home a target. The security systems of the best companies offering these services are so much more advanced than what is possible to achieve at home, not to mention the piece of mind it brings by having your valuables out of your house.
A spokesperson from Sharps Pixley, said they had noticed a dramatic increase in sales of safe deposit boxes in the past few weeks, which could be the result of the release of recent crime figures:
‘Setting up a safe deposit box is something people know you they need to do but often don’t get round to, so it is good to see people are taking their security seriously in light of these recent alarming statistics.’
Sharps Pixley has a unique offering, with a stunning showroom in St James’ where you can browse and buy gold as well as a high-level security facility where you can store it too. The vault has a Class 10 security rating, which is one the top classes in Europe, second only to the Bank of England in this country that is Class 11. Securing your valuables here is also not as expensive as you might assume from the impressive nature of the intricate security system, and you can secure piece of mind for only £250 per year.
