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Bag thieves target elderly
Wednesday, November 8: Brazen bag-snatchers are targeting elderly car passengers in Dacorum as they pull up outside their homes.
The bold thieves have struck three times in the past two weeks, pulling open passenger doors and snatching handbags from the laps of women in their 70s and 80s.
In two cases, the female victims have been sitting in cars on their own driveways when the snatchers struck.
The first bag theft occurred on October 26 when Potten End couple Lilian and Martin McKay, both in their late 70s, pulled onto the driveway of their home.
As the car stopped at around 6.00pm, a young white man, described as aged 16-20, yanked open the passenger door and snatched a black leather handbag off Lillian's lap.
Martin gave chase but the thief ran with the bag – containing Lillian's credit cards and keys – to a waiting red Renault car, which sped off.
Lillian said: "If anyone's bold enough to do that, you wonder. What if he'd opened the door and there wasn't a handbag?"
Martin said: "Some people said we'd been followed but there's no way.
"I can only conclude that they were sitting up the road... I think it was an opportunist."
Bag-snatchers struck again on October 30, when a couple in their 80s pulled onto the driveway of their home in Hemel Hempstead.
At around 4.00pm, a young white male described as aged around 20 approached the driver of the car and told him their was something wrong with it.
As the elderly man inspected his car, the young man pulled open the passenger door and snatched a black leather handbag containing cards and a large amount of cash from the lap of an elderly female passenger.
The thief then ran to a white transit van which made off.
The third and most recent theft came on Tuesday (November 7), when a couple in their 80s travelling by car were targeted in Northchurch.
While their vehicle was stopped, a young white man opened the passenger door and snatched a black leather handbag containing a purse and credit cards from the lap of the elderly female passenger.
The thief, described as aged around 20 and wearing dark or black clothing, ran to a white transit van which drove off.
Police are asking elderly drivers and passengers to be vigilant and are asking anyone with information about the three crimes can call Sergeant Mike Saunders of Herts Police on 01442 271119 or 07736 255266.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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