Warning to residents following bogus official burglaries

Date article online: 13/05/2008

Police are investigating a series of bogus official burglaries that have occurred at a number of addresses in the Pennines area.

At around 11.45am on Wednesday 7 May 2008, a man approached an 82-year-old lady and claimed to be a family friend, there to do some gardening. He stole two purses and a wallet from inside the house.

He is described as white, 20 to 25 years old, 5ft 9in tall, of slim build with short dark brown hair. He was with a woman who is described as white, in her early 20s, with brown shoulder length hair and wearing a flowery dress.

Police are also investigating two further incidents that occurred on Tuesday 6 May 2008.

At around 4pm a man approached an 82-year-old man who was outside his home on Albert Royds Street and asked him if he could turn the water off. He then began to look under the sink and asked the man to flush the toilet. The offender went up stairs to flush the toilet and stole a wallet.

The man is described as white, 6ft tall, between 30 and 40 years old, with light coloured hair.

Sometime between 4pm and 4.10pm a man, matching the same description, pushed his way into a house on Haliwell Street, claiming to be a water official. He left empty handed after being challenged by the occupant.

Inspector Lin Houldershaw from the Pennine Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "I cannot stress enough to residents how important it is to be on your guard against this type of crime.

"People that trick there way into the homes of elderly, vulnerable people and then steal from them are totally appalling.

"We are investigating three burglaries and although we are not ruling anything out, we believe at least two of these to be linked.

"By following a few simple steps we can try and stop these sorts of burglaries from happening.

"I would also like to hear from anyone that may know who is responsible."

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Pennine Neighbourhood Policing Team on 0161 856 4556

Some important safety tips:

• When a stranger knocks on your door, keep it latched at all times. If you do not have a latch ask them to push their id card through the letterbox. 
• Do not let anyone into your house without verifying their id. Check the name of the company in the phone book, and call the company before letting them in to make sure they are genuine. 
• If you have any concerns at all do not let the person in. 
• Ask them to call back when a family member, friend or neighbour is there. Genuine callers would never wish to cause distress, and would be happy to call again. 
• Finally, look out for your neighbours, and report any suspicious activity to police.