POLICE officers are to carry out extra patrols in Hatfield in a bid to catch a team of thieves who are stealing bags and purses.

The Hatfield Community Police Team will be carrying out plain clothes patrols of Asda and the Galleria, over the next few weeks following a spate of recent bag thefts.

PC Glenn Cook from the Community Team, said the team of thieves were deliberately targeting shoppers drawing cash out from a machine before following them into a shop.

Last Tuesday, a woman had her purse stolen while she was packing shopping bags in Asda. This follows a similar theft the previous day when a purse was stolen from a woman's pocket as she shopped in Asda.

Later that same day two mobile phones were stolen from a handbag hooked on the back of a pushchair at the Price Drop TV shop in the Galleria shopping centre.

On Friday, June 10 at the Newsmart Newsagents in Market Place a teenager stole a batch of prescription drugs from a shopper's bag. The youth then told the victim that she should not leave her bags lying around.

He is described as white, aged 17 to 18, 6ft tall and was wearing a blue jacket and blue baseball cap.

On June 7 in Shoe Zone a purse was stolen from a bag tied to a walking frame.

Police are now telling shoppers to be wary of where they leave their bag or purse. PC Cook offered the following advice: "When you are out shopping, make sure your purse is zipped up inside your bag and keep your bag on your person at all times. Don't leave it in your shopping basket or trolley. Be aware of who is around you. And if you see someone behaving suspiciously, report it immediately to a member of staff or security."