Keane praises gold crackdown

Mr Keane said: “Officers have been working around the clock as part of a co-ordinated and joint police investigation with TITAN and forces across the North West to try and catch those responsible for these targeted attacked.

“The burglaries are being carried out by highly organised criminals who are travelling into the area to target properties that they believe are likely to contain gold.

“A dedicated team from Cheshire Constabulary has been working with other forces to gather intelligence to try and track down the criminals.

“These arrests demonstrate that we will go to any lengths to bring those responsible to justice and put a stop to these serious crimes.”

The commissioner has met with local residents, councillors and MPs and has been on patrol with officers to provide reassurance to the community.

He added: “I have been speaking to local people about the impact these crimes are having on our communities and I would like to reassure them that there will continue to be an increased police presence in targeted areas, which includes local officers and specialist units deployed to sup- port the community and deter these criminals. Residents affected by these attacks will continue to be given support by Cheshire CARES, the victims support service I commission to help victims recover from their ordeal.

“The investigation is very much still ongoing and I would encourage anyone who has any information in relation to the burglaries or the offenders to contact Cheshire police on 101.”