Although crime is generally relatively low in Acocks Green ward, we do suffer from spates of distraction burglary from time to time. These involve con artists pretending to have a legitimate reason to come into your home and then while in, stealing from you. Examples of the distractions used in Acocks Green in recent years include pretending to be from the digital changeover team and pretending to be from the resident’s gas, electricity or water supplier.

Sadly distraction burglars tend to target the elderly and infirm. As Hayley Tierney, one of our excellent PCSOs reports, there has been a number of incidents in the sheltered housing scheme in Pemberley Road recently. This is her report from earlier today on the Acocks Green Ward Neighbourhood Police Facebook page:

“There were two reports of distraction burglaries in flats at Hollypiece House yesterday afternoon.

The offender posed as a water board official to gain entry and distracted his victims while he stole their money and property. If you saw or heard anything, contact 101.

Distraction/bogus burglars tend to target the elderly or vulnerable, so please make your friends and relatives aware.”

As she says, please keep an eye out for these crooks, warn relatives and neighbours and if you see anything suspicious contact the police.