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| Hampshire Constabulary |
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Police in the New Forest have renewed their warning to residents
to remain vigilant and aware following a further distraction
burglary.
At 10.30pm on Friday, September 8, a bogus ‘Water Board’ official
called at the Court Close home of a 96-year-old Lymington
woman.
The woman was sitting in her lounge when a man came
in through the patio doors. He claimed to be dealing with
a flood in a neighbouring property and told her he needed
to check upstairs for leaks. He then came down and told the
woman to do the same while he checked downstairs.
When she
came back downstairs, the man had disappeared and the woman
noticed he had searched all rooms in the house, although
nothing appears to have been stolen.
The man is described as
- White,
- 5ft 5ins to 5ft 7ins tall
- Proportionate build,
- Round face
- Short mid brown hair
- He was wearing a grey suit (jacket and trousers), and
spoke with an English accent.
A police spokesperson said: “This is the latest in
a series of similar offences recently committed across the
area of West Hampshire. We urge all members of the public
to exercise extreme caution when dealing with unexpected
visitors to their homes, especially late into the evening.
The
people who commit these crimes sound very credible and use
convincing tactics to mislead occupants into letting them
into their homes. Under no circumstances should residents
allow anyone into their homes unless they are absolutely
certain that they are genuine and only then after they have
thoroughly checked and verified identification.”
Anyone with information that will assist the police in identifying
the offender should contact Ringwood CID by phoning 0845
045 45 45 or the anonymous Crimestoppers line 0800 555 111.
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