Burglaries in South Croydon

Dear Resident

We have just finished our monthly committee meeting and have been advised by the local police officer, that there have been several burglaries in your area. Please make sure you lock & secure your property and keep vigilant. 

Please also read the article below, which is very worrying. Don’t let anyone into your property who you are not expecting & make sure you check their ID Badge & even phone the company they say they are from, to make sure they are who they say they are.

And as Crimewatch would say, 'don’t have nightmares, do sleep well' 

                     Subject: Suspicious Caller purporting to be from Thames Water

Dear Sarah

I am a Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator in Croham Manor Road. I just thought I should alert you to a suspicious incident which occurred to my neighbour yesterday.

The neighbour contacted me after a man dressed in orange work overalls knocked on their door claiming to be from Thames Water and requested to check the water pressure inside the house. When asked for ID the man said it was in his van which was parked around the corner. The neighbour followed him but the man disappeared and there was clearly no van parked nearby as he had claimed. 

The neighbour noticed that when the man was talking to her on the doorstep, he made sure that he faced away from the doorbell camera. The whole episode made the neighbour feel very nervous and uncomfortable. 

We suspect this may have been an attempted distraction burglary tactic. My neighbour subsequently reported the incident to Police via 101 and alerted other residents in the road via our WhatsApp group. 

As this may be happening elsewhere in the Croydon area, I thought we should alert you in case you wish to warn other residents. 

Thank you. 

Regards

Liz Gosling

Coordinator Croham Manor Road