Action call in Doncaster town after spate of serious crimes

The mugging took place in incident is believed to have occurred in Carr View Avenue, Balby at around 4.30pm on Tuesday, when an unknown man is believed to have pushed her from behind.

The woman fell to the floor and the man is understood to have grabbed her bag and ran away towards Balby Road.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “An investigation has been launched following the robbery of an elderly woman in Balby, Doncaster. Did you see the robbery? Do you have any information that could assist the investigation?”

The attack left the woman with serious injuries for which she needed to be hospitalised, and has sparked anger among residents who believe Balby has become ‘too dangerous’.

This follows a spate of serious crimes in the town over the last six weeks including two alleyway sex attacks the most recent of which took place in a ginnel between Fulwood Drive and Ashcourt on March 21.

Other recent crimes causing concern include a burglary during which a woman was raped in her own home on February 20, a stabbing carried out at a Balby supermarket on March 27 and the discovery of the body of a man who is believed to have been murdered on March 11.

Worried members of the public are now calling for increased police patrols and targeted action to prevent the recent wave of crime from continuing.

Speaking on social media, Damien Nota said: “Are the police gonna get a grip of Balby stabbings, rapes, attacking old woman (sic).”

Nicky Mcintyre added: “What is going off in Balby, this is at least the fourth incident to happen in Balby in only a few weeks.

Kevin Andrews said: “Balby has become too dangerous”

Doncaster Supt Colin McFarlane said: “We fully understand that residents in Balby may have concerns about the crimes that have occurred in the area over the last few weeks, however I want to offer the utmost assurance that we have dedicated teams of officers working on and progressing each investigation to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.

“The nature of some of the incidents will no doubt make residents feel uneasy and afraid, and to offer some reassurance to the community we will be increasing our visibility in the area to provide an extra police presence throughout the daytime and the evening.

"I would encourage anyone who wants to speak to an officer to please make contact with us either by calling 101 or by emailing [email protected]”