POLICE are appealing for witnesses following two robberies in Basingstoke.

The first incident occurred between 12.45am and 1am on Sunday, October 12 at War Memorial Park.

The victim, a 46-year-old man, was walking across the park when he was approached by two men.

They claimed to have a knife but this was not seen and they demanded money. The victim handed over a small amount of cash and his Blackberry mobile phone.

One of the suspects is described as being white, shorter than 5ft 10ins, wearing a red hooded top, with the hood up.

He is said to have spoken with a London or Basingstoke accent.

PC Lisa Cooper from Basingstoke police station said: “This incident occurred in an isolated area, but the suspects may have been spotted either before or after the offence in the area of Hackwood Road or London Road.”

The second incident occurred the following day, on October 13, between 9.20pm and 9.40pm.

A 33-year-old woman was approached by two men as she walked along Soper Grove, in the South View area of Basingstoke.

One of the men told the woman that they had a knife, but again this was not seen.

The men took the victim’s handbag which contained a number of items including a silver Sony Ericsson Walkman W395 mobile phone, a black iPod classic and a purple Canon Ixus 265 digital camera.

She described the men as being white, both between 5 ft 9and 5ft 11 tall.

One man had short cropped blonde hair and was wearing a white tracksuit top.

It is believed he was in his twenties.

The other man was thin, had longish hair under a dark beanie hat, a full beard, and was aged in his late twenties or early thirties.

PC Cooper said: “I would like to speak to anyone who has information about either of these incidents.

“Thankfully the victims were not hurt, but we are determined to find the people responsible.

“We do not know whether these incidents are linked but they happened only a day apart and we therefore cannot rule it out at this time.”

Anyone with information should contact PC Cooper at Basingstoke police station by calling 101.

Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.