Police have urged Londoners to guard against gold and jewellery thefts, particularly during festival celebrations.

It comes after the Met released figures which showed that more than £50 million worth of gold and jewellery was stolen from communities across the capital in the last financial year.

Almost 3,500 offences were committed against Asian families and officers have warned people to be particularly vigilant during Diwali.

Intelligence continues to show organised criminal networks are increasingly involved in lucrative 'family gold theft' which affects many families including those from the Asian, Jewish and Maltese communities in London.

Combined with the annual rise in burglary and robbery at this time of year as the nights draw in, this makes homes particularly vulnerable to thieves keen to cash in on the gold which is then often sold through second hand outlets.

Detective superintendent Jane Corrigan said: “Gold will continue to be highly desired by criminals due to the speed and anonymity with which it can be exchanged for large sums of cash.

“These pieces of gold and jewellery are not just valuable possessions, they are also of great sentimental worth, and if stolen, would have a huge impact on owners.

“Our proactive measures to tackle these crimes has seen reductions in offences, however there is more to be done.

“As part of this work, we urge Londoners to take action to safeguard their gold and jewellery by following our simple crime prevention advice.”

The Met advises people to property mark their jewellery and take advantage of the SmartWater scheme, which is available in Harrow.

It also suggests installing CCTV cameras and a burglar alarm as a deterrent and notes how it is safer to keep valuables away from bedrooms and bathrooms since these are the first places thieves will look.

And when out and about, it recommends keeping expensive jewellery covered, so as not to draw attention to it, and avoid walking alone in poorly-lit areas.