The incident happened on September 3, when a 71-year-old woman called police to inform them she had witnessed an attempted theft of a handbag.

She had seen an older Asian woman walking along the road when two youths tried to snatch her black leather handbag.

She struggled but kept hold of the bag and the two youths ran away.

They are described as between 12 and 14 years old, average height, wearing dark trousers and hooded tops - one light and one dark.

Detective Constable Paul Atkins said: 'We have not yet been contacted by the woman who was subject to this attempted theft and I would appeal to her to call us as soon as possible, as her account will assist the investigation and help us to identify the offenders.

'Crimes such as this must be dealt with and they are a serious matter, so I would ask that if you know this woman, please encourage her to contact police.'

Anyone with any information in relation to this incident should contact DC Paul Atkins at Fratton police station on 0845 045 45 45 or call Crimestoppers, the charity, anonymously on 0800 555 111.