6
Nov
2014
By Calvin at 15:29 GMT, 11 years ago
This story from the BBC News (South east), which I’ve edited
A male burglar posing as a meter reader entered the home of a 31-year-old woman in Harlington Road, Uxbridge, at about 5pm Friday 31 October.
The man held a knife to her 15 month old child before saying to her, "where is the gold?"
The man then bound the mother's wrists and ankles and put her and her daughter in the bathroom.
He was then joined by a female accomplice and they searched the house, eventually making off with jewellery.
The suspect was wearing a lanyard around his neck and a high-visibility jacket which made the victim believe he was a genuine meter reader.
Detective Constable Anji Dawson said: “Thankfully these types of incidents are very rare and the victim did not suffer any serious injuries. However this was a terrifying burglary which has left the mother of a very young child extremely shaken."
As the incident happened on Halloween police believe there’s a good chance that people out and about may have seen the suspect.
The male suspect is in his early 30s, about 5ft10in (1.78m) tall, had a goatee beard and a neck tattoo.
He spoke with a London accent and wore a blue-coloured fleece with a short sleeved high-visibility jacket, dark trousers, black shoes and a woolly hat.
There is no description of the female accomplice.
Police have issued an e-fit of the male suspect.
If anyone has information that can assist the police please call 101 or should you wish to remain anonymous please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111
TCPW Comment: As you know I only put up a few police appeals on this website as there are several websites that already do this, not least the police services concerned. However, this particularly nasty incident warranted my attention, not just because of it’s dreadful nature, but because it highlights the importance of checking the identity of callers and being able to control the door at the same time.
I’ve no doubt that this poor lady was very busy and, like the rest of us, had been called on by genuine meter readers on many occasions. This time though she got the most awful and unexpected shock, one that she might have been able to avoid had she followed certain doorstep procedures.
I know it’s easy for me to say these things after the event, but it’s just these sorts of occurrences that help ram home the importance of crime prevention.
Let’s hope that this lady and her daughter recover from this terrible incident as quickly as possible.
Original BBC Story http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-29931809
Advice for callers at the door: http://thecrimepreventionwebsite.com/personal-security/633/bogus-callers-distraction-burglary/
