An elderly Tooting resident is frightened vulnerable people in the area are being targeted by thieves after her purse was stolen twice in three months.

Maureen Mayze, 80, of Derinton Road, was the victim of pickpocketing on two occasions, last Saturday and in April.

Both times she became aware of the theft when she tried to pay for items in shops in Tooting High Street.

Mrs Mayze said: “It was as if they were targeting me because I had a walker.”

Wandsworth Times:

Mrs Mayze believes her walker makes her a target 

She noticed the most recent incident in Primark in Tooting High Street.

Mrs Mayze said: “I was such a state. A girl at the store had to get me a chair to sit down.”

The pensioner rang the police when she got home to report the theft.

She said they were “kind” but nothing has come of it and fears the thieves are getting away with it because they are “very clever”.

Mrs Mayze added: “They are targeting disabled and elderly people because they are not as quick.

“Those people don’t deserve to live on this earth.

“I’m very conscious. If it can happen to me it can happen to anyone.

“Now I’m frightened to go anywhere, I’ll be looking at everyone.”

A spokesperson for the Wandsworth police confirmed both reports but said it did not have any “specific intelligence that anyone is deliberately targeting the elderly or vulnerable” in Tooting.

She said: “I would encourage Maureen to contact us if she does have any information which could assist us with this.”

Police advice for protecting yourself against pickpocketing:

  • Always be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to those around you.
  • Try not to carry valuables or large amounts of cash with you when out and about.
  • Conceal any items of value that you have with you somewhere difficult to gain access to, such as putting a wallet inside a zipped compartment of a bag which you can then be further zipped up.
  • Report any suspicious behaviour to police.