Distraction burglaries

12 November 2010, 16:30 | Updated: 12 November 2010, 16:39

Police in Milton Keynes are carrying out high visability patrols, after a number of elderly people have been victims of distraction burglaries.

Since Sunday (7/11) there have been six offences - in all but one of them the offender has pretended to be a police officer to access to a property.

Det Insp Nick Glister, leading the team investigating these crimes, said: “It’s clear that the offender is deliberately targeting elderly and vulnerable people. Although he claims to be a police officer, he is dressed in plain clothes and not wearing any kind of police uniform. I would urge residents not to open the door to anyone they don’t know or are not expecting. Ask them to pass their identification through the letter box and if you are still unsure ring the organisation they claim to be from and check they are who they say they are.

“We believe the same person is committing these offences and I would urge anyone with information about these offences to contact us as soon as possible. Most of the victims are elderly and the level of shock and upset these types of crimes can have on the victim can be devastating. The people who commit distraction burglaries are the lowest of the low and this person needs to be caught.”

The offender is white, in his mid twenties to early thirties, about 5ft 6ins to 5ft 8ins, with brown hair.

The first offence was on Sunday (7/11), at about 10.30am in Chartwell Road, Newport Pagnell. The victim is a 90-year-old man. The offender, claiming to be a police officer, stole £300 and bank cards.

The second offence was on Monday (8/11), at about 5pm. The victim is a 56-year-old woman. On this occasion the offender claimed to be from the water board. He stole the victim’s handbag which contained £20 and bank cards.

The third offence was on Tuesday (9/11), at about 4.15pm in Almond Cross, Newport Pagnell. The victim is a 78-year-old woman. The offender, claiming to be a police officer, stole credit cards and tried to get the victim to give him the pin numbers but she refused.

The other three offences took place yesterday (11/11), with two attempts and one actual burglary. The first attempt happened at about 2.15pm in Abby Road Simpson. The victim is a 74-year-old woman. The offender stated he was a police officer but the victim refused to give him access.

The second attempt was at about 4pm in Portfield Road, Newport Pagnell. The victim is an 82-year-old woman. Again the offender claimed to be a police officer and when the victim challenged his claim he ran away.

The third offence happened at about 7.28pm in Simpson Road, Simpson. The victim is an 81-year-old woman. The offender claimed to be a police officer and was given entry to the property. Once inside the victim became suspicious and challenged the offender, he then grabbed her handbag, containing £10 cash and bank cards and ran off.

If you have any information about this incident, please contact the Priority Crime Team at Milton Keynes police station via the 24-hour non-emergency number, 0845 8 505 505. If you do not want to speak to the police, call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.