Phone taken in suspected distraction theft in town
Inspector Dave Browning, of the Upper Valley Neighbourhood Policing Team
A Hebden Bridge resident is urging people to remain vigilant after having his new £450 phone pinched from right under his nose.
Adam Speake, 22, was at work in Ryburne Brokers, Market Street, Hebden Bridge, when his black Blackberry Z10 was taken by a man and a woman in a suspected distraction theft at around 1.30pm on Monday.
Mr Speake, who has worked at the front counter of the brokers for two and a half years, said: “Two people came in to the office after a quote and asked for a piece of paper and pen because they didn’t speak good English and wanted me to write it down. My phone was behind the desk and quite well hidden. So I went in to the back of the office to get a piece of paper and pen and when I came back they said they would be in touch. It wasn’t untill later that I noticed my phone was missing.
“These people might not get caught but hopefully by highlighting this incident it might make people more vigilant and stop the same thing from happening to them.”
Mr Speake said the couple were Eastern European and both in their mid-20s. He said the man was between 5 foot 9 inches and 5 foot 11 inches and had two golden crowns in his teeth. He said the woman had her hair in a pony tail and was wearing quite colourful clothing.
This latest incident comes after a spate of break-ins at sports clubs and businesses in the Calder Valley over the past few weeks.
But Inpect Dave Browning of the Upper Valley NPT said police are doing all they can to tackle crime in the area and said it is actually decreasing.
“Crime has dropped another two and a half per cent in the Upper Valley this year,” he said. “Burglaries are down eight per cent and thefts are down 8.7 per cent. We are living in one of the safest places in the county and if people tell us about things happening in their local area we will do something about it.”
Insp Browning said in an emergency people should always ring 999, but in a non-emergency they should call 101 or email calderdale.npt@westyorkshirepolice.pnn.police.uk.
Anyone with information about the incident at the brokers should call 101 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.
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Monday 20 May 2013
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