Fairmead Road home raided by thieves posing as window cleaners

POLICE have released e-fit images of two thieves who posed as window cleaners to trick their way into a woman’s home.
The victim, in her 50s, was at her home in Fairmead Road, Archway, just after 3pm on December 4 when two men in uniforms rang the doorbell, claiming to be window cleaners who had just finished a job in nearby Wedmore Street.
Believing them to be genuine, she let the men inside. They showed no identification.
The victim negotiated a price and allowed the men to fill buckets in the kitchen.
One suspect stayed with the victim while his accomplice wandered round the house, went outside and returned.
Then, after about 15 minutes, both suspects left with two other men who were waiting outside the house. They left a note with the names “Peter” and “John” and a contact telephone number.
The victim then found her windows had not been cleaned and a number of items had been stolen, including a blue Sony Vaeo laptop worth about £400, a silver Nikon digital camera, a number of Xbox 360 games and an Epsom laser printer.
The suspects were described as polite and spoke with a local accent.
One was aged between 20 and 25, slim, about 5ft 9in tall, with blue eyes and gelled spiky brown hair.
He wore a blue v-neck jumper with the logo “Ocean Cleaning” in white capital letters in a white circle on the left breast. The same motif was enlarged on the rear of the jumper.
The second suspect was aged about 30, between 5ft 6in and 5ft 9in tall, with blue eyes and short blond hair. He walked with a limp and was wearing the same uniform.
Police are urging anyone who believes they may have been app­roached by the men to contact them.
People claiming to be window cleaners, tradesmen or from utility companies should be asked for identification, they stress.
“Genuine callers should carry an identification card with their photograph on,” a spokesman for Islington Police said. “Check this carefully. If you are unsure, telephone the company the caller claims to represent. If you are not convinced of the identity of the caller, don’t let them in.”
Any witnesses or anyone with information can call Detective Constable Debbie Keyser on 020 7421 0220 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
ROISIN GADELRAB