Elderly couple robbed of thousands in Bishops Castle

At around 3.30pm yesterday, Thursday 4 December, three men called at the home of a couple in their 80s on Corporation Street. They entered the home and it’s believed that, once inside, they stole a vanity case containing more than five thousand pounds in cash.

The men were all described as white, wearing winter clothing and “beanie hats”, one with a distinctive stripy pattern. One of the men is believed to have been in his 50s, the other two in their 20s. They were seen to get into a blue car before driving away.

Detective Constable Greg Smith said: “Our enquiries are ongoing to identify the men involved and we’d like to encourage any Bishops Castle residents that may have seen men matching the descriptions in the area yesterday afternoon to contact us on 101.

“These types of crimes are particularly despicable as they target the most vulnerable members of our community. We’d like to urge our communities to keep an eye out for individuals calling at the homes of elderly or vulnerable neighbours and encourage them not to open the door to unexpected callers.”

West Mercia Police are encouraging communities to help prevent and detect these crimes by:

- Keeping an eye on people calling in the area or acting suspiciously

- Noting the registration numbers of vehicles parked in your area for a period of time

- Calling 101 to provide information to us about suspicious people, activity or vehicles, however insignificant it may seem.

- Encouraging vulnerable people not to open the door if they are not expecting or do not recognise the person. If they open the door, remind them to secure the door bar or chain first and check the caller's identity carefully. If in doubt, keep them out!

- If a distraction burglary has taken place or been attempted, encourage the victim to report it as quickly as possible

Anyone with any information about the crime in Bishops Castle is urged to contact West Mercia Police on 101 quoting incident number 440s of December 4.

You can give information, without giving your name, by calling the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or by visiting their website www.crimestoppers-uk.org