Maldon district: Purse thefts soar in recent crime wave (From Maldon and Burnham Standard)

Maldon district: Purse thefts soar in recent crime wave

2:00pm Saturday 18th August 2012 in News By Emma Robinson

A PURSE gets stolen once every two days in Maldon.

According to recent statistics the number of purse thefts has risen dramatically, with thieves stealing 34 purses from the last two months alone.

Over 100 have been nicked since the start of the year.

This has shot up from the 76 thefts from the same period in 2011, rising a staggering 38%.

Police have put the thefts down to opportunistic thieves and urge people to make sure their purses are secure and hidden at all times.

But they have not ruled out an organised gang of professional thieves who have decided to descend on Maldon specifically to nab purses.

And thieves have struck again as they targeted a woman shopping in a Maldon supermarket.

They snatched the woman’s purse which was hanging from a shopping trolley in Tesco , Fullbridge just after midday on July 31.

They made off with £10 in cash and bank cards.