POLICE have issued a public appeal after two men tried to steal a woman’s dog while she was out on a walk in the Houndmills area of Basingstoke.

At 7.15pm on Tuesday (February 8), a woman was approached by two men when she was walking her dog on the green area in between Braddock Court, Fullbrook Drive and Kingsclere Road.

One of the men tried to take the lead from her while the other suspect pushed the woman in the chest.

The woman was able to run off with her dog. The men returned to a vehicle and drove along Braddock Court and away from the scene.

No threats were made but the victim reported that she believed the men were trying to steal her dog.

The men involved have been described as being aged between 25 and 30.

The first suspect was around 6ft 2ins tall, had a slit in his left eyebrow and was wearing a black face covering.

He was wearing a black Adidas hoodie, black trousers with a white line down the side and black Nike Air trainers.

The second suspect was around 6ft tall and was wearing a black face covering, a plain black hoodie, black trousers and black shoes.

Basingstoke Neighbourhood Inspector Richard Lane said: “Although incidents like this are rare, we would like to reassure the local community that we are taking this report extremely seriously.

“We would like to remind dog walkers to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious behaviour to us.”

Officers have been carrying out enquiries but are now turning to the public for help.

A Hampshire Constabulry spokesperson said: “Were you in the area during the time mentioned above? Did you witness any suspicious activity?

“Do you have any CCTV images or dash-cam footage that could help our investigation?”

Anyone with information is asked to contact 101 using the reference number 44220054861.

Alternatively, go online and submit information at: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/.

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