PSNI Tackles Burglaries Targeting Chinese and Asian Communities with SelectaDNA

PSNI Tackles Burglaries Targeting Chinese and Asian Communities with SelectaDNA 

Burglary remains one of the most personally damaging crimes - and in recent years, Chinese and Asian communities across the UK have been disproportionately targeted. The theft of family gold has become a significant and well-documented pattern, with multiple police forces issuing warnings in response to a sharp rise in incidents. In West Yorkshire alone, gold thefts from Asian families rose from just 8 reported incidents in 2022 to 133 in 2024 - a stark illustration of a trend that forces across the country are working to address. (Source: Asian Standard, March 2025) 

Family gold is typically high-value gold jewellery often bought as wedding gifts within Asian communities and passed down through family generations, holding significant sentimental as well as financial value. With more families keeping high-value jewellery at home, properties holding these items can become attractive targets for organised criminal networks. 

The challenge of policing hard-to-reach communities 

Alongside the burglary challenge itself, police forces face a second, connected problem: engaging effectively with communities where English may not be a first language. Across the UK, many forces struggle to ensure that victims from hard-to-reach communities receive the same level of support as those who are fluent English speakers. Language barriers can make it harder for victims to report crimes, understand their rights, or act on crime prevention advice. 

For the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), officers recognised that cash and high-value jewellery were being stolen in targeted incidents and that victims in these communities were not always getting the support they needed. 

How the PSNI responded to the series of incidents 

In response, the PSNI developed a programme designed to address both the crime pattern and the engagement gap - bringing translated support, community partnership and forensic property marking together into a single initiative. 

A programme built around engagement and understanding 

The initiative began with outreach. Working with the Chinese Welfare Association and community representatives, the PSNI identified that victims were not receiving crime prevention information in their own language. In response, a bespoke set of crime prevention documents was translated and made available to victims of crime. 

Using SelectaDNA to help prevent burglaries 

Through ongoing engagement with the community, the PSNI identified a need for the SelectaDNA property marking solution to help protect valuable and sentimental items targeted by thieves. The synthetic DNA technology acts as a powerful deterrent, aids the recovery of stolen property and strengthens criminal investigations. Each item is marked with a unique synthetic DNA code and UV marker, making it traceable and significantly less attractive to offenders. SelectaDNA is used by 93% of police forces across the UK and has been linked to an 83% reduction in burglary in areas where it has been deployed. 

With funding support from the Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP), kits were distributed to affected residents and local businesses. Warning signage was also installed in partnership with the local council, further enhancing the visible deterrent across the area. 

Highly Commended at the PSNI Problem Solving Awards 2026 

The initiative was recognised at the 2026 PSNI Problem Solving Awards, delivered in partnership with the Northern Ireland Policing Board (NIPB). The project received a Highly Commended award in the Delivering for Communities category, recognising outstanding examples of innovation, collaboration and community-focused policing across Northern Ireland. 

The commendation highlighted the project’s success in identifying and addressing key issues contributing to under-reporting and repeat victimisation, including language barriers, cultural perceptions of authority and limited awareness of crime prevention measures such as property marking. It also recognised the strength of the multi-agency partnership and the meaningful impact the programme delivered for communities across Northern Ireland. 

Watch the PSNI Family Gold Theft Project Video 

Hear directly from the officers involved: Watch on YouTube →