Appeal Follows Distraction Burglary In Brookside, Telford

Police officers in Telford are investigating following a distraction burglary in Brookside. The incident occurred at an address on Brindleyford on Thursday 19 August.

At around 3.30pm, the victim - a 78-year-old lady - heard a knock at her front door and went to answer it. Stood at the door was a man claiming to be ‘from the council' asking if anyone had been to check her taps. When she said they hadn't he said he must have got the wrong address and stated that he'd go back and check his computer.

Roughly five minutes later another man appeared at the victim's door and said that he needed to fit a valve to her taps as the water had been contaminated. The victim let the man into her house and he then proceeded to check the downstairs taps and radiators. Having ‘checked' the taps and radiators he then left the property and was not seen again.

A police spokesman said: "A short time later the victim went upstairs and discovered that someone had been into her bedroom, searched it thoroughly and stolen around £1500 of jewellery. The stolen jewellery includes a number of gold rings that were in a wooden jewellery box, and a gold chain and a gold necklace in separate presentation boxes.

"The victim - though understandably upset by this incident - has been able to provide us with descriptions of the two men that visited her house. The first man is described as being white, around 5ft 8inches tall, of average build and having short black hair while the second man is described as being white, quite a bit shorter than the first man, of stocky build and as also having short black hair.

"Both men are also described as wearing pale blue long sleeved shirts, navy blue trousers and black shoes.

"We are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen these two men yesterday afternoon, or anyone who may have been visited by them in similar circumstances to the lady in Brookside.

"Anyone with information about this theft is asked to call PC 3801 Nicola Renny on 0300 333 3000 or alternatively, please remember that Crimestoppers can also be called anonymously on 0800 555 111 if you'd prefer to pass on information without identifying yourself.

"In light of this incident, we would once again like to warn people to be on their guard if an unknown caller comes to the door. Please make a point of checking their identification and only let them in once you have carried out every possible check to ensure they are a genuine caller.

"Residents, especially elderly or vulnerable people, are reminded to exercise extreme caution when opening the door to someone they do not know. Callers from utility companies will carry an identification badge which should be carefully checked, and genuine callers will not mind waiting outside while checks are made with the organisation they claim to represent."

West Mercia Police's Knock Knock campaign calls on everyone to help tackle these distressing crimes and offers crime prevention advice to advise people about what they can do to make their lives more secure.

Members of the local community can help by:

• Keeping an eye on people calling in the area or acting suspiciously
• Noting the registration numbers of vehicles parked in the area for a period of time
• Encouraging vulnerable people to check a caller's identity carefully and to keep their door on a chain. If they have any doubt about the caller's integrity they should not let them into their home
• Call on vulnerable people on a regular basis. If it is not too much trouble, help them keep their front garden tidy and find reliable tradespeople for any maintenance work that really does need to be undertaken

For further information about preventing distraction burglaries or robberies and other crime prevention advice please visit our online Advice Centre at www.westmercia.police/advice-centre/.

Issued: Friday 20 August 2010