Police in Wishaw helped get a charity to support an elderly victim of a handbag theft who had £400 cash stolen as she went to do her weekly shopping.
On Thursday, January 19, the 84-year-old woman was within Morrisons supermarket on Kirk Road, Wishaw, when two people approached her.
A man started talking to her, and, while distracted, a woman took her handbag, containing a purse, cash and cards from the trolley.
Officers have obtained CCTV from the supermarket and are conducting enquiries to trace those responsible.
PC Welsh, from the Community Policing Team, contacted local charities on the victim’s behalf to see if any could help her.
Paul’s Parcels, based in Shotts, responded and provided the victim with food and financial support to see her through January.
Tracy Duffy, from Paul’s Parcels said: “Our aim is to tackle food poverty through prevention, we support anyone in our local community in their time of need and this lady was most certainly in her time of need in such traumatic circumstances.
“We need local people to know that we care and this gesture of good will goes a long way in the recovery of people affected by crime.”
Area Inspector Alan Mulholland, from Wishaw Police Station, added: “As part of policing the local community PC Welsh wanted to help this victim who had lost money she needed to buy basic food items and goods.
“Thankfully local charity Paul’s Parcels were able to help the victim – who told local officers that she was pleased something good came out of a bad situation.
“The pair responsible for this theft have targeted an elderly woman and our enquiries continue to trace them.”
Anyone who saw two people acting suspiciously at around 3.30pm on Thursday, 19 January within the supermarket, or have any information that could help the police investigation, should contact 101 and quote incident number 2347 of 19 January.
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