Gold jewellery stolen and then melted down

Gold jewellery worth tens of thousands of pounds is being stolen by metal thieves and posted to dealers around the country to be melted down, police revealed today.

The crimewave leaves no trace and the increase in the number of independent gold dealers, many who ask for no ID, means police are struggling to tackle the problem.

And police are blaming an increase in robberies partly on the rise in the value of gold. This month it emerged that gold had hit another record high, passing the 1,800-dollar per ounce mark for the first time.

Gold dealers are said to have "bluntly refused" West Midlands Police's calls for tighter security to stop thieves laundering the jewellery. Pc Mick Walley, of Wolverhampton CID, said stolen jewellery was being handed over to independent dealers in exchange for "bundles of cash".

He said: "Another trend is for a burglar to place the jewellery into a pre-paid envelope and post it to one of many independent gold traders all over the country.

"He then receives a cheque through the post or payment directly into a bank account.

"There is no legislation covering the buying and selling of gold and independent gold retailers are becoming increasingly common in most towns and cities.

"Unfortunately the number of robberies and burglaries where the offenders are stealing silver or gold is increasing dramatically as a result." Pc Walley said officers were now pleading for a change to the law to require all scrap metal transactions to be recorded and ID taken.

Sudesh Verma, from Gold Forever on Dudley Road in Blakenhall, said: "We have heard this is a problem, but we do ask people to confirm it is their gold. We photocopy their ID and ask them to sign documentation."

Last month, an elderly woman and her son were threatened by a gang of men who burst into their home in Wolverhampton Street, Bilston, and stole £4,000 and a haul of jewellery. And in April, jewellery worth tens of thousands of pounds was stolen from a house in Bearwood Road, Smethwick.