Disabled man burgled in Basingstoke

Detectives are appealing for information after a burglary in Basingstoke on Monday, May 4. At around 6.15pm two men broke into the home of a disabled man in Truro Place.

The men confronted the man who was with his carer and demanded money. They then stole a safe containing personal paperwork from the man’s bedroom.

The victim attempted to stop them but one of the men pushed him out of his wheelchair and they both then ran off.

The first man is described as: 

• White
• Aged 17 to 18 years old
• 5ft 2ins to 5ft 3ins tall
• Medium build
• Short, fair hair
• Spoke with a local accent
• Wearing a navy blue hooded top.

The second man is described as: 

• 6ft tall
• Slim build
• Wearing a grey hooded top and grey tracksuit bottoms.

PC Shula Williamson, of the Basingstoke Priority Crime Unit, said: “This was a despicable act where a man has been targeted in his own home.

“We are taking this incident seriously and would ask anyone with information or anyone who saw two men in the area at the time acting suspiciously to contact 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.