POLICE have issued an artist’s impression of a suspect who called on homes in South Gloucestershire claiming to be a police officer.

The latest ruse happened on Tuesday, 4 March in Oldbury-on-Severn and Yate.

At about 7.40pm a man with the word “Police” on his top called on an elderly woman, claiming to be an officer investigating burglaries in the area.

The man was described as white, in his late forties, “short” and “a bit tubby”. He wore a yellow top with the word "Police" on it over ordinary clothes and a woollen hat.

The 76-year-old who answered the door to him turned him away. Nothing was stolen in the incident.

There was another incident at about 9.40pm in Yate on the same evening, when an 80-year-old man also turned a similarly-described caller away. The householder had asked to see identification but the caller didn’t have any and walked away immediately. Nothing was stolen.

On February 22, an 87-year-old woman living in Badminton had cash stolen after a man in a fluorescent jacket persuaded her to let him in. He said he was a police officer and asked to see where she kept her cash, claiming there had been burglaries in the area.

A second man was seen at some of the incidents. He was described as white, in his late 30s, about 6ft tall and of slim build with an oval face. He wore a blue hooded top with the hood up and pulled around his face and was said to look “unkempt”.

Neighbourhood Sergeant Steve Ives said: “The people who turned these men away did exactly the right thing.

"A genuine police officer will always show you their identification and give you time to check it carefully. Door-to-door enquiries are carried out by police officers and PCSOs in full uniform, and we won’t ask to see where you keep your valuables. If you have any unexpected callers, always put the chain on and if you’re not sure, don’t open the door and call us immediately on 999.”

PS Ives asked anyone with any information which could help police enquiries into these incidents to call 101 to speak to DC Clare Chipping of South Gloucestershire CID, quoting reference number 18516/14. Alternatively call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. They never ask your name or trace your call.

Anyone who is suspicious of a caller to their home, or that of a vulnerable neighbour, should call police straight away.