BURGLARS who posed as police officers are believed to have struck four times in Cambridgeshire.

The burglaries happened yesterday on Monday (May 21) in Hartford, Cambridge and Sawston.

Cambridgeshire police said the first took place at about 1.30pm in Veasey Road, Hartford, when a 31-year-old woman returned home to find three men leaving from the rear of her house.

Nothing was stolen but they had searched the upstairs. The men left in a black BMW.

The next happened at about 4.30pm in High Street, Barton, the home of a 91-year-old woman. Three men had knocked at the door dressed in what she believed to be police uniforms.

One of the men spoke to the victim in her living room and claimed to be investigating a burglary further along the road while the other two searched upstairs. It was not known whether anything was stolen.

About 15 minutes later, two men described as wearing police uniforms called at the home of a 66-year-old woman in Wadloes Road, Cambridge. The men again said they were making enquiries about burglaries and claimed they would have to take her to the police station if she did not let them in.

Four men entered the property before making off in a black saloon car. Nothing was believed to have been stolen.

Finally, at 5.45pm, in Holme Way, Sawston, three men, two described as being in police uniforms, called at the home of an elderly woman. She let them in and they searched the house before making off with some jewellery in a dark saloon car.

Detective Sergeant Geoff Knight, who is investigating, said: “We believe the same group of men carried out these offences and I am keen to speak to anyone who was in the areas concerned and saw anything suspicious.

“They were wearing clothes that looked like police uniform but were fake and used a dark saloon car, believed to be a black BMW.

“Real police calling at an address will always produce identification and we would urge residents to insist on seeing identification before allowing anyone access to their home.”

INFORMATION: Contact Det Sgt Knight on 101, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.