Scotland Yard has revealed that jewellery and gold worth £45 million has been stolen from Asian families in London over 12 months.
The number of offences for the financial year of 2014-15 fell by 24%, or 1,324 incidents, in comparison to 2013-14.
However, police said there was often a rise in thefts around the five-day festival of Diwali.
The Metropolitan Police said an annual rise in burglary and robbery as the nights draw in made Asian communities particularly vulnerable at a time when they would be travelling across the city to attend events.
Detective Chief Inspector, 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."
