A NUMBER of personal and irreplaceable items were stolen during a distraction burglary in Droitwich yesterday (Tuesday).
Two women, posing as nurses, tricked their way into the home of an elderly woman in St Nicholas Street around lunchtime and escaped with their haul.
Detectives from South Worcestershire Proactive CID are investigating.
Det Insp Dave Knight labelled it a ‘despicable crime where an elderly and vulnerable victim was taken advantage of’.
“This is a fast-paced investigation, and my aim is to identify and arrest these two individuals at the very earliest possible opportunity.
“I would like to thank the victim’s family who, as well as reporting the crime to us, have asked for information from the community through social media.
“We have already had a number of calls from the public in response to their posts with some vital information.
“Please trust me when I say that we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to bring these offenders to justice.
“At this stage we do not believe that the suspects live locally, and we have actively followed several leads in our investigation.”
He urged anyone who saw suspicious activity taking place in their area to report it to police by calling 999 and asked people to contact elderly and vulnerable loved ones and neighbours to remind them never to let cold callers into their home.
Police have issued advice to people to keep them safe from bogus callers.
Anyone unsure of who visitors are should ask their name, for identification, who they work for and if they have a contact number they can call to check.
They should close the door while making these checks and ensure their doors and windows are locked at all time.
To make properties look occupied when they are going out, people should also switch lights on.
Inside the home, jewellery and money should be in a safe place and locked up if possible.
Residents should consider installing safes and fix them securely to the floor or wall.
Visit securedbydesign.com for police approved safes.
Anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in or around St Nicholas Street in Droitwich yesterday lunchtime or has any information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
