Burglary gang targeting homes for jewellery and cash

Homes across Northern Ireland are being targeted by a gang of travelling criminals on the hunt for cash and jewellery, police have warned.

It comes after two burglaries in Londonderry on Thursday in which cash and personal items were stolen.

Homes in the St John's Park area and Garden City areas of Derry were targeted.

Police believe the two break-ins are linked and part of a wider criminal operation.

"We believe the same travelling criminals are targeting homes, not just in the city but across Northern Ireland on the hunt for cash and jewellery," said Det Con Paul McDonald.

"They are making it their business to break into homes and make money from stealing from their victims.

"They don't care about the victims. They only care about the valuable items they can get."

In the first incident, money was stolen from a home at St John's Park between 18:00 GMT and 20:55 on Thursday.

Police said thieves forced entry into the home at Garden City between 20:15 and 23:45 GMT on the same evening.

The house was ransacked and a personal document taken.

Det Con McDonald said the PSNI was working with a number of partner agencies including An Garda Síochána ( Irish police) but said help from the public was vital in catching those responsible.

"I want to reassure people that domestic burglary is a priority for us and we are doing everything we can to identify these criminals and bring them to justice," he said.

"However, these travelling criminals leave us with few evidential opportunities to follow up on and that makes it difficult for us to identify them, which is why we need everybody's help in ensuring they do not get away with their crimes."

He urged "anyone who sees any suspicious vehicles or people acting suspiciously" to contact police.