‘How many more elderly people are they preying on?’

‘Utterly useless, too many crimes and not enough police’ were the words of Tracy Allgrove following an email from the police informing her that her father’s case had been closed.

Tracy’s father 82 year old Michael from Collier Row, was robbed of a £1000 outside the NatWest bank in Hilldene in September where there was clear CCTV footage showing the robbers enter Tracy’s car and take the money.

The 82 year old cancer sufferer had been asked if he wanted his trees cut and the gardeners had asked Michael which bank he banked with and had even volunteered to take him to the bank.

Fortunately Tracy arrived in time to bring her dad to the bank where he withdrew the money and left him sitting in her car with the money in an envelop on the foot well of the car.

Tracy then went into Sainsbury’s to collect four items of shopping literally taking just a few minutes. On return she found her dad looking confused and bewildered out of the car telling her he had been robbed.

The thieves had told the pensioner that they had hit his car and to come out and look at the damage and whilst he did that another person jumped in the car and took the envelop with the money.

Now despite having clear CCTV images of the thieves getting into the car and stealing the money, the case has been closed.

Tracy told the Havering Daily:

“I’m not impressed with the police at all. They have closed my case pretty much and washed their hands of it when they haven’t even circulated the CCTV images of the thieves about to media sites.

“They shared the images with other colleagues and that’s it, why not the media to get the public to help out and see if anyone recognises them?

“It took a month for them to come out and get statements from us. Now I can’t tell my dad that this case is closed as he will be so upset. He is already so depressed about the whole incident.

“The email from the police states that they have tried to call me but that clearly is a lie, I have my phone on 24/7 in case my dad needs me and no one has tried to call me.

“I just want them caught. Luckily the community has been really good and the Harold Hill community facebook group raised £600 for my dad and a Harold Hill resident came and cut his trees back for nothing so I am really grateful for everyone’s kindness, but as my dad says it shouldn’t be the community that have to put their hands into their pockets. These thieves should be caught.

“My dad is upset now and very depressed at what happened, I can’t tell him that the case is closed. He says to me how many more elderly people are they preying on everyday?

“The police have been utterly useless and I think they just wanted to wash their hands of us.”