Man arrested after £2,500 stolen from Kensington woman in her 60s

Merseyside Police has arrested a man after a report a woman in her 60s had £2,500 cash stolen from her house in Kensington in September last year.

It was reported the woman had withdrawn the cash from a bank in Old Swan for home improvements, before returning home in a taxi at around 10.45am on 12 September 2021.

A short time later, a man knocked at the door claiming to be a roofer who had noticed loose tiles at the back of her house.

The woman escorted him to the back of her house to check, before the man returned ahead of her through the house. A short time later she noticed the bag containing the cash was missing, and the incident was reported to police.

Following extensive enquiries, a 37-year-old man from Kirkdale was arrested in the early hours of Friday 25 March on suspicion of burglary, and taken into custody for questioning. He has been conditionally bailed as enquiries continue.

Detective Inspector Chris Saidi said, “To gain anyone’s trust in this way and target them in their own home, where they should feel safest, is despicable.

“Our investigation into this incident has made significant progress since it occurred, and we have now made an arrest.

“Since we launched Operation Castle in 2018, our dedicated operation to reduce the number of burglaries in Mersyeisde and bring offenders to justice, we have seen offenders sentenced to a total of more than 500 years in prison and seen burglary offences decrease year on year. 

“Shamefully, offenders like this deliberately target the most vulnerable in our community and I would ask people to take a few minutes to check on any vulnerable and elderly neighbours, family and friends and ensure they are given the right advice and guidance.”

There are a number of steps you and they can take to try to prevent this from happening: 

• Do not open your door if you are unsure who the caller is. Always make sure you know who visitors are by asking to see their identification. Never let people into your property if you don’t know them
• Always keep the key chain on the door while talking to callers and always check their ID before letting them into your home. Genuine callers won’t mind you doing this. If callers haven’t got valid identification, don’t let them in
• Bogus callers often pretend to be someone official, for example, from a home or garden improvement company, utility company or the water board. They will also try to distract people by asking for a drink of water or if they can use the toilet. Remember, ‘if in doubt, keep them out’
• Remember to close and lock the back door before you answer the front door
• It’s a good idea to have a viewer or spy hole and a stout chain fitted to all the external doors to the property
• Don’t keep large quantities of cash at home. It’s better in the bank where it’s safe
• If someone asks for your help (for example, if they want to make a telephone call or claim to have lost a ball in your garden) always ask a friend or neighbour, or someone else you trust, for help”

Anyone with information on this incident or who has concerns about someone suspicious who has knocked at their door or someone they know is encouraged to contact @MerPolCC, 101 quoting reference 21000610445.

You can also pass information via the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org

Image: Kindel Media

Why not follow birkenhead.news on Facebook and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to news@birkenhead.news

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter

Facebook comments

Latest news