SHOPPERS in the Bordon area have been warned to be vigilant by the victim of a purse theft.
The Lindford woman, who has asked not to be named, was doing her shopping at Somerfield in the Forest Shopping Centre last Friday morning when she became the victim of the purse theft.
Her purse was in her shopping bag and it was not until she reached the checkout that she realised that it was missing.
At first she thought that she had merely lost it or left it somewhere but it was not until later, when she reported it missing to the police, that she realised what had happened.
She said: "Luckily for me it did not have a lot in it and had some more money in a different place so that I could pay for my shopping.
"It is distressing to know that somebody has been snooping in my shopping bag and took my purse out of it.
"Thinking about it now I do remember that I had a lot of people around me so it may not just be one person it could be a group of people.
"I was very lucky but other people keep a their whole week's worth of money in their purse.
"I have spoken to the police and they have told me that there have been three or four other similar instances in the area recently."
"When people go shopping they should take extra care and keep things like their purse close to them and out of view so that no one can grab it without them noticing.
"The chances of the police and the shop finding these people is not very big, but hopefully by letting people know what happened to me these people may go away and realise that it is not worth their while staying.
"I just feel that it is necessary to let people know the dangers and get them to take a little more notice of the things that are going on around them."
Anyone with any information, or who would like advice on crime prevention, is urged to contact Whitehill police station on 0845 045 45 45.