Villas and houses have been the target of a number of thefts in the past week, and residents are urged to be vigilant.

The call was made on the social media by lawyer Kris Borg, who wrote on Facebook that there have been a number of robberies from private homes in the past week.

They typically strike between 7.00 p.m. and 10.30 p.m. and their target is houses / villas with people actually in the house, Borg wrote.

They normally go in from the first floor while the owners are in the ground floor level. Very often the theft is noticed after they would have left. "Clearly there is a professional gang," the lawyer wrote.

Targeted areas so far have been San Pawl Tat-Targa, Madliena, Targa Gap, Tal-Ibragg and Marsascala.