Police are appealing for information after a burglary in Farnborough on Thursday, May 7.

Between 4.20pm and 5.30pm an elderly man noticed a man stood in the kitchen of his home in Birchett Road.

The man claimed he was there to pick up a letter and then left the address. The victim later found that the upstairs bedrooms of the property had been searched and around £60, a wallet and a folder containing personal documents had been stolen.

The man is described as:

• White
• Approximately 5ft 9ins tall
• Clean shaven 

PC Tim Willis, of the Farnborough Targeted Patrol Team, said: “This was a despicable act that was targeted against an elderly member of the community.
 
“We are keen to hear from anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area at the time.

“Residents are reminded to ensure their homes are as secure as possible at all times and report any suspicious activity to police as soon as possible.”
 
Hampshire Constabulary offers the following Safer Homes advice:

• Keep valuable items out of view – if you have electrical equipment worth hundreds of pounds, don’t keep it by the window where passers-by can see it.
• Never leave a key under a doormat or on a string through the letterbox – it’s the first place any burglar will look.
• Make sure tools and ladders are kept in a secure place – burglars will happily use your own garden equipment to break into your home.
• If you’ve taken extra security precautions, let would-be burglars know. If you have an alarm, make sure the box can be clearly seen. If you take part in a Neighbourhood Watch scheme, display a sticker in your window, and if you have a dog, put up a warning sign.
• Hide financial documents and keys – if someone does break in you don’t want them to also steal from your bank account or take your car.
• Make sure you secure all your doors and windows every time you leave the house, even if you are ‘just popping out’.
• If you are in the garden or upstairs, make sure your downstairs doors are locked – in the summer burglars can often just open the front door and help themselves.
• Deadlock your doors with the key – don’t just lift up the handle.
• Make use of all door and window locks fitted in your home.
• Consider getting a letter box deflector.
• Keep house keys upstairs or store them near the door out of sight for easy access in an emergency.
• Keep your car keys away from the front door and store them somewhere safe.
• Keep handbags out of sight.