Necklace snatched from woman’s neck in Green Street, Upton Park

A thief ripped a gold necklace from a woman’s neck as she was out shopping with a relative in Green Street on Thursday.

The two women were walking around the popular Asian shopping destination in Upton Park at 10.40am last Tuesday (August 13).

As they approached Upton Park Road, a man came up behind one of them and snatched the gold chain from the neck of the 59-year-old victim and ran away.

As she was recovering from the shock of the crime, the man returned to try steal her relative’s gold chain but the women noticed and he made off down Upton Park Road again.

The women describe him as a black man aged between 20 and 30-years-old.

Andy Whitfield, crime prevention advisor at Newham police, said: “Historically, police see crime soar as temperatures rise.

“In an effort to prevent this seasonal increase and help people avoid becoming a victim of crime when they should be enjoying the weather, officers are reminding people to take a few precautions to avoid a thief making off with not only their possessions, but their optimism too.

“Thieves see gold jewellery as cash, due to its high resale value, so we are asking the public to take some basic crime prevention steps, including keeping valuables such as gold chains hidden.”