BASINGSTOKE police are hunting a gang of criminals believed to be behind a string of burglaries where elderly people's homes have been targeted.

Officers with the CID burglary team are determined to catch the men responsible for what they believe are a linked series of 15 distraction-type burglaries in the past three months.

The crime spree has led victims from across the town to lose thousands of pounds in cash after being conned by burglars.

Detective Constable Adrian Pinnock said most of the incidents have involved a trio of offenders and that three con stories are also common to many of the burglaries.

The swindles involve one person distracting the victim while others steal cash from purses and drawers.

Det Con Pinnock said: "One instance is where someone will call at the front door and ask to borrow a piece of paper and a pen to leave a message for the person living next door.

"This distracts the victim and they find when they come back after getting a piece of paper that their home has been ransacked for cash.

"Another is when an offender tells the victim their ball or frisbee has gone into their garden and asks for help to get it back."

Det Con Pinnock said the third common theme is for the crooks to break into a house and then trick the elderly occupants into believing they are actually police officers investigating a crime.

He said: "They find the elderly person and say 'We've caught a person who was stealing your money' - inferring that they are police officers.

"They ask the person to check around the house while other offenders steal cash."

Det Con Pinnock said varying descriptions given by the victims of the offenders made it impossible to pin down whether it is the same trio involved.

But the burglars have often been described as in their late teens or early 20s, of smart appearance and well spoken with a local accent.

Several e-fits have been prepared (pictured above), based on information given by some of the elderly victims.

"It is impossible for us to tell whether this is a group of six people mixing the people involved in the crimes, or two separate groups," said Det Con Pinnock.

He believes that the first in the series of crimes occurred on November 10 last year.

Pensioners lost thousands of pounds in savings when three homes in the Weale Court and Fiske Close sheltered housing developments in Basingstoke were targeted on that date.

The latest two burglaries occurred on Wednesday, both in Park Gardens, Black Dam, between 8.20pm and 8.45pm.

In one of them, £70 was stolen from a wallet.

Det Con Pinnock urged people to keep a lookout for anything suspicious.

He said: "Offences like these destroy victims' lives and have a devastating effect on their ability to trust others.

"The people who are doing this are ruthless and callous people intent on getting the maximum amount of money in the minimum amount of time from the most vulnerable people in society.

"Someone knows who is behind this. These offenders have fat pockets with lots of notes in them."

Anyone with information should contact the Basingstoke Burglary Team on 0845 045 45 45 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.