Police seek owners of jewellery

Jewellery seized from a pawnbroker and believed stolen

POLICE are searching for the owner of jewellery that is believed to have been stolen in Oldham.

Officers from the Volume Crime Team seized three items of jewellery from a local pawnbroker.

The items, believed to have been snatched in burglaries and pawned on August 14 and 18, include a white gold chain with a three stone pendant, a 22ct gold Asian gold ring and a men’s gold signet ring.

PC Ben Miller, from Oldham Police, said: “We return stolen property whenever we can, but in this case we have exhausted our inquiries and still can’t find the rightful owners. Therefore we are asking people to come forward to claim these items.

“We believe these items were stolen in burglaries carried out during August and seized the items from a local pawnbrokers following the questioning of a burglary suspect.

“Being burgled can be very distressing, especially when items of sentimental value, such as jewellery, are stolen.

“People are getting better at marking property such as TVs and videos with their postcodes, but obviously this is not always possible for rings, necklaces and bracelets.

“Residents are encouraged to take extra care of their jewellery and to store it securely in safety deposit boxes in banks and building societies. If jewellery has to be left in the house then residents should ensure that it is kept out of sight and securely locked in a safe that is bolted into the brickwork or masonry.

“Taking close-up photographs of jewellery, against a ruler to make the size clear, will help identify any unique items should they be stolen and recovered.

“People can also register their property free of charge at www.immobilise.com so that if they are lost or stolen and later recovered they can be returned to their rightful owner.”

If anyone believes they may be the owner of one of these items they can contact the Volume Crime Team on 0161-856 1978.