Two police officers praised after helping return £2,000 to elderly fraud victim who had recently lost his wife

Two police officers have been praised after helping return £2,000 to an elderly fraud victim who had recently lost his wife.

PCs Katie Boughton and Tom Ward worked together to intercept a package containing the cash and returned it to the victim.

The officers – who were both response officers at Rugby at the time - were recognised at the force’s Response Policing Week awards held on Friday.

Chief Inspector Jim Rankin, policing commander for Rugby, said: “Scammers knew this man had lost his wife and were deliberately targeting him because they knew he was vulnerable.

“It’s no easy job intercepting a package once it is in the postal system; you need a great deal of perseverance to gain the relevant permissions. Fortunately, both Katie and Tom showed this perseverance along with a great deal of compassion for a vulnerable victim. They returned his money and ensured these despicable criminals didn’t get their hands on it. Brilliant work!”