POLICE are linking a spate of street crimes.
There have been four incidents in Honley within the last eight weeks.
The first happened at about lunchtime on February 4.
A 74-year-old woman was walking on her own on New Street when a couple approached her.
The man asked her in broken English for directions to the doctor’s.
The victim explained where the surgery was and the couple left in a dark grey car.
When they had gone, the woman realised her bank book had been taken from her coat pocket.
The couple were of Asian appearance, or with olive skin.
The man was about 40 years-old. The woman was wearing a scarf.
In the second incident a 52-year-old woman had her handbag stolen when she was on West Avenue in Honley.
Someone approached her from behind at about 7.50pm, lifted her bag from her shoulder and ran off.
The tan-coloured bag contained house keys, work keys and a purse containing a small amount of cash.
She described the thief as wearing a light coloured, hooded, zip-up jacket.
The third incident was reported in the Examiner on Tuesday, when a would-be robber fled empty-handed after trying to snatch a woman’s handbag.
The 68-year-old had the bag on her shoulder as she and her husband, 79, walked home from a restaurant at about 8.15pm on Saturday.
They were on Thirstin Road, Honley, when the man grabbed the bag. He ran off when the couple shouted .
He is white but possibly eastern European, slim, about 5ft 10ins tall and was wearing a light coloured hooded top and possibly a scarf over his face.
The final incident happened on Bradshaw Road in Honley on Wednesday.
An 87-year-old woman was sitting in a park at about 3pm when a man sat next to her.
She left the park and he followed her before handing her a piece of paper asking for directions to the chemist.
She pointed the way, but he followed her home and stopped her at the gate to her house to ask her again.
After he left, she realised her purse was missing.
The man was white but possibly east European, plump, about 5ft 10ins and 20 to 30 years-old and was wearing a navy blue shirt with a white stripe, baggy grey trousers.
Det Con Russ Conlon said: “We have to consider that these incidents, in an area that doesn’t usually experience this type of crime, may be linked.”
He advised people who were approached by people asking directions to be cautious.
Anyone with information about the crimes should contact Huddersfield CID on 0845 6060606 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
